FDA Doesn't Find High Arsenic Levels in Rice in Preliminary Data
The Food and Drug Administration will not at this time recommend changes by consumers about their consumption of rice and rice products due to arsenic concerns, it said after reviewing preliminary data on the subject. The preliminary results of the study found average levels of inorganic arsenic for the various rice and rice products of 3.5 to 6.7 micrograms of inorganic arsenic per serving. The study includes various brands of rice (non-Basmati), Basmati rice, brown rice, rice cereals (puffed, non-puffed, hot cereal, and infant cereals), rice cakes, and rice milk.
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FDA stressed that the finding is only preliminary, having analyzed only 200 samples out of a total of about 1,200 that it is in the process of collecting and analyzing. “The initial data collection is a first step in the agency’s ongoing more thorough data analysis,” FDA said. “There are many different types of rice and rice products that are grown in different areas and under different conditions. Further analysis is needed to assess how these variations may affect the results.”
(See ITT’s Online Archives 12022327 for summary of FDA addressing concerns in February on arsenic levels in rice and brown rice syrup used in infant formula.)