Total diet samples purchased at monthly intervals between March 1990 and December 1991 were analysed for different contaminants and nutrients. Each total diet sample included 91 food items which were combined after preparation and/or cooking into 16 groups of similar foods. The ‘market basket’ was based on a food survey which referred to the adult population (25–60 years) carried out in the Basque Country between 1988 and 1990. The dietary intakes (μg/day) of lead (43), cadmium (11), mercury (18), arsenic (291), hexachlorobenzene (HCB) (0.2),α‐hexachlorocyclohexane (α‐HCH) (< 0.1),β‐hexachlorocyclohexane (β‐HCH) (0.1),γ‐hexachlorocyclohexane (γ‐HCH) (2.9), dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) (0.3), dichlorodiphenyldichloroethene (DDE) (0.9), dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane (DDD) (0.2), dieldrin (0.5), heptachlor epoxide ( < 0.1),α‐endosulphan (0.1) andβ‐endosulphan (0.1) were all well below the respective Acceptable Daily Intakes or Provisional Tolerable Weekly Intakes. However, arsenic intake was much higher than that estimated in other countries andγ‐HCH was detected in anomalously high levels in the bread group. Dietary intakes ofδ‐hexachlorocyclohexane (δ‐HCH), aldrin, endrin, heptachlor and methoxychlor were not calculated because no residues were detected in any of the samples. Aflatoxin M1intake was not estimated owing to the low levels detected. Finally, zinc intakes (11.6 mg/day) were below the recommended dietary allowances for Spain and the same was true for iron (11.3 mg/day), but only for females.