HOW MUCH POISON IS IN OUR RICE?

Rice is a staple food for billions of people all around the world, but in recent years there has been a lot of concern about how safe it is. In 2012 the nonprofit advocate Consumer Reports (CR) conducted tests that revealed varying levels of inorganic arsenic in more than 60 samples of rice and rice products for infants. Noting that there were no federal limits for this toxin in most foods, CR called for government action.

Particularly troubling were the levels of arsenic in infant cereals, which sometimes contained five times more arsenic than alternatives such as oatmeal. CR found some babies consume as much as three servings of rice cereal a day, which could result in an unacceptably high illness risk. Tests in 2014 found even more inorganic arsenic in rice cereal and rice pasta than before, and more testing in 2018 revealed worrisome levels of arsenic along with cadmium and lead. The National Center for Biotechnology Information lists arsenic, cadmium, and lead as “priority metals of great public health significance” due to a “high degree of toxicity.” According to CR, even small amounts over a long period of time may raise the risk of bladder, lung, and skin cancer as well as type 2 diabetes and cognitive and reproductive problems. In 2020 the FDA issued guidance to limit the amount of arsenic in infant rice cereals.