The Dutch authorities' independent study of 26 samples of rice imported from Asian nations found average levels of seven parts per billion - a thousandth of those found in the original study - and with no samples above the EU limit of 200 parts per billion.

BBC: Study of lead levels in rice under scrutiny

In 2010, the European Food Safety Authority published a report outlining analysis of 612 rice samples from the EU, finding average levels of just a few tens of parts per billion.

BBC: Study of lead levels in rice under scrutiny

Only chemical chromatography that measures several samples for their average level of capsaicin, the chemical that gives peppers their bite, can establish a record claim.

WSJ: Arms Race to Grow World's Hottest Pepper Goes Nuclear

The results, based on test performances of samples of 9, 13 and 17 year olds, suggest that apart from maths, average school standards have not risen since the early 1990s.

BBC: Handwriting

The compounded average growth rates of China's office and retail rents from 2007 to 2012, based on 10 major city samples, were 4.62% and 4.41%, respectively.

WSJ: Investors Target Logistics Property in China