The aim of this study was to measure the contents of lead, cadmium, mercury and arsenic in six kinds of foods, evaluate its contamination condition in Shaanxi Province, and to provide evidence not only for the evaluation of foods safety but also for the effective measures to control heavy metal contamination.Methods Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer was employed to measure lead and cadmium contents, hydride generation-atomic fluorescence spectrometry was used to measure arsenic contents, and mercury vapourmeter was used to measure mercury contents. One factor contamination index and comprehensive pollution indices were employed to evaluate the metal contamination of different kinds of foods. Moreover, the health risk of heavy metals exposure from foods was described. Results In six kinds of foods in Shaanxi, the lead and mercury contents in meat were the highest at 0.049 0 and 0.003 3 mg/kg respectively. The contents of cadmium and arsenic in grain crop were the highest at 0.025 0 mg/kg. The contents of lead, cadmium, mercury and arsenic measured by single contamination index and comprehensive contamination index were safe and clean, and the margins of safety of lead, cadmium, mercury and arsenic in six kinds of foods were below one.Conclusion Six kinds of foods were contaminated by lead, cadmium, mercury and arsenic, but the content were low. The risks of these heavy metals are acceptable, and the foods are all safe to eat.