Consumer Reports has issued new consumption and testing guidelines for arsenic levels in rice and other grains based on a recent review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
A newly-developed point system could help children and adults reduce their exposure to carcinogenic arsenic. The recommendations also say children should rarely eat hot rice cereal or pasta and those under the age of 5 should not replace dairy milk with rice milk.
Recent tests show inorganic arsenic (IA) levels in rice varies greatly based on where the product was grown. The choices containing the lowest levels of IA were found to be white basmati rice from India, Pakistan or California and U.S. sushi rice. Grains such as amaranth, millet, and quinoa also proved to have low arsenic levels.
The rice and grains with the highest levels of IA were found to be all types of rice (excluding sushi and quick-cooking) from Arkansas, Louisiana, or Texas; white rice from California had 38 percent less of the contaminant than those grown in this part of the country. Organic rice was not found to have significantly less IA.
To make their findings the researchers tested 128 samples of basmati, jasmine, and sushi rice for arsenic and combined the results with findings from previous samples taken in 2012.
"We are very pleased to learn that there are lower arsenic choices when it comes to rice and alternative grains. This is great news for consumers who can now use our information to make better decisions for themselves and their families and reinforces our advice to vary your grains," said Urvashi Rangan, Director of Consumer Safety and Sustainability at Consumer Reports. "In the meantime, we continue to call on the FDA to set standards for arsenic in rice-based foods and are particularly concerned about the effects on children."
See the report HERE.
