Exposure to toxic and essential trace elements through the intake of processed and meat cuts (beef and chicken) in southeastern Brazil Abstract The present study evaluated the concentration of six trace elements in processed meat products and in meat cuts. We also assessed the risk associated with the consumption of these foods based on the estimated daily intake (EDI) of these elements. Fifty-eight processed meat and 148 meat cuts samples were analyzed using ICP-OES. As and Cd were not detected in any sample of processed meat. The highest mean level of lead was observed in frankfurters (0.056 μg g−1), which is half the maximum permissible level. For Cr, the highest mean concentrations were detected in chicken nuggets and beef hamburger (0.121 and 0.105 μg g−1, respectively), which are above the allowed limit. The comparison between the impact of a diet restricted to processed meats with a diet restricted to meats cuts showed that the individuals following the latter are exposed to higher amounts of the trace elements analyzed.