Information on Arsenic in Rice

America’s rice farmers and rice companies are fully committed to providing wholesome, high quality, and nutritious food.  We know that arsenic in food is alarming for many consumers and that you may have questions.  And while we do not agree that there is a public health safety issue as a result of trace amounts of arsenic in rice, we will continue to work with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ensure the U.S. rice supply meets any threshold established.

If you have questions or need additional information, please contact USA Rice Federation, riceinfo@usarice.com, 1-800-888-7423.
Snapshots of two PDF handouts

Rice & Food Safety Fact Sheets

We've compiled the key things you need to know about U.S.-grown rice and arsenic.

Six Facts about U.S. Rice & Food Safety 


The Facts About U.S. Grown Rice & Arsenic


What Health Experts Say

Headshot of Dr. Julie Miller Jones
Bio  |  Video

"By attacking rice, we may be inadvertently missing health benefits.  For instance, U.S. data on cancer risk in Asian-Americans showed a lower cancer risk compared with other ethnic groups and Asian-Americans eat much more rice than the rest of the population. Worrying about these small levels of arsenic rather than worrying about getting a good diet is a wrong-headed strategy, because the real worry is that we’re not adequately nourished. All foods contain arsenic. So, if you eliminate arsenic from your diet, you will decrease your risk of any kind of adverse effect from arsenic, and you’ll die of starvation.”

Julie Jones, PhD, LN, CNS
Professor Emerita, Foods and Nutrition
St. Catherine University

Headshot of Dr. Keith Ayoob
Bio  |  Video

“Arsenic has always been present in many of the foods we eat, including fruits, vegetables and rice.  There are no documented cases of rice causing adverse health effects. In fact the opposite is true, many populations that consume up to five times more rice than Americans have lower disease rates and healthy diets overall. The health benefits of rice should not be overlooked. It plays an important role in maintaining a healthy, nutritious and wholesome diet.”

Dr. Keith Ayoob
Associate Clinical Professor, Department of Pediatrics
Albert Einstein School of Medicine

Dr. Tanya Remer Altmann wearing a white lab coat
Video

“Rice plays an important role in a healthy, nutritious diet.  It provides crucial nutrients, vitamins and minerals that help protect against disease and ensure healthy growth during pregnancy and childhood. As a mother, I feel safe feeding mysons food that includes rice or organic brown rice syrup. And as a doctor, I would recommend other parents feel comfortable feeding their children the same.”

Dr. Tanya Remer Altmann
Pediatrician and Best-Selling Author



Headshot of Jim Coughlin
Bio

“People are exposed to trace amounts of arsenic every day. It is found naturally in the earth’s crust, in our water, in the air we breathe and in many of the foods we consume. The level of arsenic typically found in food is largely considered tobe benign, since background levels in food have not caused reported health effects, including cancer. Further, there is overwhelming food safety, nutritional, scientific and medical evidence that supports that diets rich in fruits, vegetables and grains are tremendously beneficial to the health of consumers.”

Dr. James Coughlin
President, Coughlin & Associates
Consultants in Food/Nutritional/Chemical Toxicology and Safety

Additional Information

FAQs About Arsenic in Food
The U.S. rice industry is committed to producing a wholesome and nutritious product and wants you to enjoy and feel comfortable consuming U.S.-grown rice.  We're here to provide you with evidence-based answers for the hard questions you might have about rice and arsenic.  Below are some frequently asked questions, but please contact us if you have additional questions:  riceinfo@usarice.com, 1-800-888-7423.
How does arsenic get in my food?
Arsenic is everywhere in nature. It is one of many natural elements found in air, water, and soil, and virtually all crop plants take up arsenic. There are trace amounts of arsenic in nearly all of the foods and beverages we consume, including vegetables, fruits, juices, rice, grains, seafood, meat, and wine. Some believe pesticides are to blame, however, U.S. rice farmers do not use any arsenical pesticides on the rice they grow.
Should I be concerned about arsenic in food?
There are two types of arsenic found in food: organic, which presents almost no human health threat; and inorganic, which can pose health threats if consumed at high levels. The level of inorganic arsenic typically found in food, and particularly in rice, is so low it is measured in something called "parts per billion." There have been no documented incidents in which arsenic in U.S. rice has led to human health problems, and U.S.-grown rice already meets established international health standards for arsenic. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, exposure to higher than average levels of arsenic occurs not from food you eat, but results mostly when arsenic is present in the workplace, near hazardous waste sites, or in areas with high natural levels.1

1 Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "Division of Toxicology and Environmental Medicine ToxFAQs" (2007), https://wwwn.cdc.gov/TSP/ToxFAQs/ToxFAQsLanding.aspx

You said “inorganic arsenic” – does that mean arsenic is being added to our food?
No. Both inorganic and organic forms of arsenic occur naturally. The terms "organic" and "inorganic," with regard to arsenic, are chemistry terms and should not be confused with food marketed as "organic."
When we talk about parts per billion or “ppb,” what does that mean?

The abbreviation 'ppb' stands for parts per billion and is a way to measure concentration at extremely small levels. One ppb is equal to one ten-millionth of one percent, or .0000001%. This is equivalent to one half teaspoon of water in an Olympic sized swimming pool (more than 660,000 gallons).
Why is the FDA looking into arsenic in rice?
The FDA, the government agency responsible for overseeing the safety of our food supply, has been testing for arsenic in a variety of foods since 1964, and rice specifically since 1991, as part of their routine monitoring procedures. Arsenic is only one of many substances that FDA monitors in foods and this testing is not in response to any specific food safety incident.
Why is the FDA looking into arsenic in rice?
The FDA, the government agency responsible for overseeing the safety of our food supply, has been testing for arsenic in a variety of foods since 1964, and rice specifically since 1991, as part of their routine monitoring procedures. Arsenic is only one of many substances that FDA monitors in foods and this testing is not in response to any specific food safety incident.
Should I stop feeding my baby infant rice cereal?
When it comes to your health or the health of your family, you must make your own decisions and be comfortable with them. However, you can be confident in the assurance that infant rice cereal produced with U.S.-grown white rice is sourcing rice with the lowest arsenic content in the world, and that all major infant rice cereal brands that use U.S.-grown white rice already meet the threshold established by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration.
What if my family eats a lot of rice?
Studies suggest that people who consume large amounts of rice are actually associated with having healthier overall diets that are more in line with the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Comprehensive studies by Harvard University (funded by The National Institutes of Health) involving more than 200,000 people found no increased risk of cardiovascular disease or cancer due to rice consumption, including individuals with Asian backgrounds for whom rice is a daily staple. Rice is actually not the greatest source of arsenic in the typical diet. Fruit, fruit juice, and vegetables are greater sources of arsenic and few nutritionists and dieticians would advise you to eliminate these important sources of vitamins and minerals from your diet.
Is the arsenic content of U.S.-grown rice similar to that found in imported rice?
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) concluded U.S.-grown rice has the lowest inorganic arsenic of all countries tested.2

2 Codex Committee on Contaminants in Foods. (2012). Proposed Draft Maximum Levels for Arsenic in Rice. CX/CF/12/6/8. https://dx.doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.1.3879.0884.

Does organic rice have less arsenic?
No. Regardless of whether the farming method is conventional or organic, rice, like just about every other crop plant, takes up trace amounts of arsenic.
Resources & Research

U.S. Rice Meets Domestic & International Regulatory Standards

Arsenic in rice for baby food is already regulated. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) set an action level of 100 parts per billion (ppb) for inorganic arsenic in infant rice cereal1.  The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) set limits of 200 ppb for white rice and 350 ppb for brown2. The U.S. rice industry meets these standards.

1U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Guidance for Industry: Action Level for Inorganic Arsenic in Rice Cereals for Infants. August 2020.  https://www.fda.gov/media/97234/download 

2CODEX Alimentarius.  Maximum level of inorganic arsenic in husked rice.  June 2016. http://www.fao.org/fao-who-codexalimentarius/roster/detail/en/c/421755/

U.S. Rice Has the Lowest Levels of Inorganic Arsenic

The WHO and FAO have concluded rice grown in the U.S. has the lowest levels of inorganic arsenic of the more than 40 rice-producing countries tested, including India.

Codex Committee on Contaminants in Foods. (2012). Proposed Draft Maximum Levels for Arsenic in Rice. CX/CF/12/6/8. http://dx.doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.1.3879.0884 

Dietary Guidelines for Americans Recommends Rice Consumption

The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) highly recommends grains, such as rice, as a part of a healthy diet to reduce the risk of heart disease, support healthy digestion, and help with weight management.  In fact, the 2020-2025 DGA recommends infant rice cereal consumption.

U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025. 9th Edition. December 2020. Available at DietaryGuidelines.gov


Rice Nutrition Research

Decades of nutrition research demonstrate that frequent rice consumers have diets more consistent with the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans and have reduced risk for obesity, high blood pressure, certain cancers, and metabolic syndrome.  Below are links to recently published research.  Click here to for a complete list of rice research and for more rice nutrition information.

Infant Rice Cereal Leads to Better Nutrient Intake

National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data show that consumption of infant rice cereal in the 0-24-month population was linked to better nutrient intake, which leads to better overall health and lower risk of disease.

Nicklas, T. A., O’Neil, C. E., & Fulgoni, V. L., 3rd (2020). Nutrient intake, introduction of baby cereals and other complementary foods in the diets of infants and toddlers from birth to 23 months of age. AIMS Public Health, 2020, 7(1): 123-147. doi: 10.3934/publichealth.2020012


Xue, J., et, al. (2010).  Probabilistic Modeling of Dietary Arsenic Exposure and Does and Evaluation with 2003-2004 NHANES Data. Environmental Health Perspectives, Volume 118, No.3. https://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/doi/pdf/10.1289/ehp.0901205