Arsenic In The Pantry

December 29, 2014- Consumer Reports continues to study the measurable levels of arsenic in rice and rice products.

In its recently published online article, Consumer Reports looks at data released by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2013 on the inorganic arsenic content of 656 processed rice-containing products.

"We found that rice cereal and rice pasta can have much more inorganic arsenic—a carcinogen—than our 2012 data showed," Consumer Reports writes. "According to the results of our new tests, one serving of either could put kids over the maximum amount of rice we recommend they should have in a week. Rice cakes supply close to a child's weekly limit in one serving. Rice drinks can also be high in arsenic, and children younger than 5 shouldn’t drink them instead of milk."



In 2012, Consumer Reports had recommended that babies eat no more than one serving of infant rice cereal per day, on average, and that their diets should include cereals made from other grains. "We did not find any reason to change our advice based on our new analysis," they write. "When we shared our results with the FDA and asked for comment, the agency reiterated its recommendation that everyone, including pregnant women, infants, and toddlers, should eat a variety of grains. And they pointed out that parents should 'consider options other than rice cereal for a child’s first solid food.'"



Here are the highlights of How Much Arsenic Is In Your Rice?:



• Regular exposure to arsenic can increase the risk of bladder, lung, skin cancer and type 2 diabetes. The report also notes that that arsenic exposure in utero may have effects on the baby’s immune system.



• Rice tends to absorb arsenic more readily than other plants. The Consumer Reports has been calling on the FDA to set a federal limit for arsenic in rice and rice products.



• Consumer Reports also conducted its own tests for combined results on 697 samples of rice. In addition they also looked at the inorganic arsenic levels in 114 samples of nonrice grains.



• Basmati rice from California is the lowest in arsenic.



• Quinoa, a good source of protein, had average inorganic arsenic levels comparable to those of other alternative grains. Some samples had quite a bit more, though they were still much lower than any of the rices.



• The grains amaranth, buckwheat, millet, and polenta or grits had negligible levels of inorganic arsenic and are gluten-free. Bulgur, barley, and farro, which contain gluten, also have very little arsenic.



• Rices from Texas are among the highest in arsenic. Brown rices tend to have more arsenic than white rices of the same type.

- Millet can cook up fluffy like rice but has far less arsenic.


• The article notes that organic rice takes up arsenic the same way conventional rice does.

• For any rice, consider rinsing raw rice thoroughly before cooking, using a ratio of 6 cups water to 1 cup rice, and draining the excess water afterward. You may sacrifice some of rice's nutritional value, but research has shown the method removes about 30 percent of the rice's inorganic arsenic content.

Read the full ConsumerReports.org post here, which includes a 7 points per week rule and chart based upon their findings.

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