Jaye, did you hear about the arsenic in rice? it was on the news last night.
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/national_world/2012/09/20/study-detects-arsenic-in-rice.html
Consumer Reports urges U.S. limits for arsenic in rice after tests of more than 60 products, including Kellogg’s Rice Krispies and Gerber infant cereal, showed that most contained some level of inorganic arsenic, a known carcinogen in humans.
The consumer watchdog magazine said some varieties of brown rice, including brands sold by Whole Foods Markets and Wal-Mart Stores, contained significant levels of inorganic arsenic.
It recommended ways for children and adults to limit their intake of rice products each week and said U.S. regulators should ban arsenic-containing drugs and pesticides used in crop and animal production.
“The goal of our report is to inform — not alarm — consumers about the importance of reducing arsenic exposure,” said Urvashi Rangan, director of safety and sustainability at Consumer Reports.
Consumers might want to limit infant rice cereal to one serving per day for babies and exclude rice milk from the daily diets of children younger than 5, the report said.
Adults should eat no more than two servings of rice per week.
As replacements, it suggested other healthy whole grains such as wheat, corn and oats, which have lower arsenic levels.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said yesterday that it plans to collect data on 1,200 food samples by the end of the year and make its own recommendation on arsenic intake.
The agency said early data on arsenic in rice products is consistent with the Consumer Reports investigation. It found average levels of inorganic arsenic of 3.5 to 6.7 micrograms per serving in about 200 samples of rice products.
“Our advice right now is that consumers should continue to eat a balanced diet that includes a wide variety of grains — not only for good nutrition, but also to minimize any potential consequences from consuming any one particular food,” FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg said in a statement.
Earlier this year, Consumer Reports called for limits on arsenic in apple and grape juices after similar testing found “worrisome” levels in those childhood staples.
Food manufacturers and groups representing the rice industry said singling out rice products is alarmist.
“Recent media stories based on studies about high levels of arsenic in rice are misleading the public about this issue, given that arsenic is everywhere and present in air, soil, water, and foods, including fruits and vegetables,” the USA Rice Federation said on its website.
Nestle Nutrition said its Gerber baby products, including its rice cereals, are safe to consume.
A spokeswoman for General Mills, whose Rice Chex was in the Consumer Reports study, said it is confident that consumers eating their cereal shouldn’t be concerned.
