Due to allergies, I eat a lot of rice – rice milk, rice
cereal, rice crackers, rice pancakes, and rice noodles.
However, I’ll need to look at how much rice I eat because tests
by Consumer Reports found rice products contain arsenic, many at high levels.
Arsenic in rice
The testing organization found significant levels of
inorganic arsenic, which is a carcinogen, in almost every product category,
along with organic arsenic, which is less toxic but still of concern, according
to the article “Arsenic in Your Food: Our Findings Show a Real Need for Federal
Standards for This Toxin.”
Using a 5-ppb standard in its study, Consumer Reports found
that a single serving of some rices could give an average adult almost one and
a half times the inorganic arsenic he or she would get from a whole day’s
consumption of water, about 1 liter.
Consumer Reports also discovered that some infant rice cereals had levels of inorganic
arsenic at least five times more than has been found in other cereals such as
oatmeal.
In addition, the testing organization looked at government data on the health and nutrition
of a nationally representative sample of the U.S. population. It found people
who eat rice have higher arsenic levels.
Guide for cutting rice consumption
Due to its findings, Consumer Reports suggests limiting the consumption of rice products.
Among the recommendations in its chart, Limit Your Exposure, are: adults should
eat 2½ servings a week of hot cereal; ½ serving a day of rice drink; 2 servings
a week of rice; and 1 serving a day of rice crackers.
The testing organization also recommends cooking 1 cup of rice in 6 cups of water instead of 2 cups, then discarding the water.
Arsenic standards and other action needed
As a result of the rice report, Consumers Union, the advocacy arm of Consumer Reports,
recommends:
- A standard should be set for arsenic in rice.
- The industry should step up efforts to reduce arsenic levels in rice, including developing
rice that takes up less arsenic and using rice with the lowest possible arsenic
levels in products for children.
- Agricultural practices that can lead to more arsenic in rice
should be prohibited including the use of: pesticides containing arsenic; manure
that contains arsenic as a fertilizer; and animal feed with arsenic-containing
drugs and animal byproducts.
For additional information, including the levels of arsenic
found in various rice products, see www.ConsumerReports.org/cro/arsenicinfood
or get the November issue of Consumer Reports at newsstands or local libraries.
