To investigate the overall dietary mercury contamination in main foods and assess the risk for Jinan residents.Methods Surveillance on mercury contents in grains, vegetables, edible fungi and algae, livestock and poultry, dairy products, eggs and aquatic products was conducted in Jinan from 2010 to 2012. According to the average food intake of Shandong residents and the mercury PTWI 4 μg/kg BW in food established by JECFA in 2010, the point assessment method was applied to assess the exposure risk for local residents and to describe the characteristics of the risks. Results 175 food samples of 8 kinds were tested. The average mercury contents were 19.01 μg/kg, and the 50^th percentile (P50) was 9.00 μg/kg. The total detection rate was 97.14% and the violation rate was 8.57%. The mercury was detected in all samples and the detection rate in aquatic products was the lowest (89.36%). The mercury content in chicken liver was the highest (83.60 μg/kg). The average weekly mercury intake from food in Jinan was estimated to be 1.31 μg/kg BW, accounted for 32.75% of PTWI. Grains, vegetables and livestock meat together contributed 73.28% to the total dietary mercury intake.Conclusion The level of dietary mercury exposure from food in Jinan was within safety limit.