The Challenge of Regulating Arsenic in Rice
The Challenge of Regulating Arsenic in Rice
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has spent years grappling with the issue of arsenic in rice. It's currently in the midst of a health risk assessment that officials say would help form the scientific basis for any future regulation. The agency currently advises parents to consider diversifying the grains they feed their infants and toddlers, and encourages all consumers to read products labels for rice-based ingredients, and to consume a variety of grains.
In the meantime, Codex Alimentarius, a body coordinated by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) that develops international food standards, has proposed a maximum level of 0.2 mg/kg for inorganic arsenic specifically in white (or polished) rice. However, Codex recommendations are nonbinding—countries can adopt and enforce them at their own discretion. And some critics say the proposed rice standard, which was announced in July 2014, isn't protective enough.
White rice makes up 79% of the international market. but the highest arsenic levels are consistently found in brown rice. That's because rice kernels concentrate arsenic in the thin outer layer that gives brown rice its color and is removed to produce white rice. Organic brown rice syrup, a popular sweetener often touted as a healthier alternative to high-fructose corn syrup, has been found to contain a similar range of arsenic levels as brown rice grain.
According to Angelika Tritscher, the coordinator for risk assessment and management with the WHO Department of Food Safety in Geneva, Codex attempted to set a standard for brown rice and proposed a value of 0.4 mg/kg, but could not reach agreement because of insufficient data on arsenic levels in brown rice occurring globally. The discussion of such a standard will be continued at the next meeting of the Codex Committee on Contaminants in food in March 2015.
Moving Toward a Standard
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has spent years grappling with the issue of arsenic in rice. It's currently in the midst of a health risk assessment that officials say would help form the scientific basis for any future regulation. The agency currently advises parents to consider diversifying the grains they feed their infants and toddlers, and encourages all consumers to read products labels for rice-based ingredients, and to consume a variety of grains.
In the meantime, Codex Alimentarius, a body coordinated by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) that develops international food standards, has proposed a maximum level of 0.2 mg/kg for inorganic arsenic specifically in white (or polished) rice. However, Codex recommendations are nonbinding—countries can adopt and enforce them at their own discretion. And some critics say the proposed rice standard, which was announced in July 2014, isn't protective enough.
White rice makes up 79% of the international market. but the highest arsenic levels are consistently found in brown rice. That's because rice kernels concentrate arsenic in the thin outer layer that gives brown rice its color and is removed to produce white rice. Organic brown rice syrup, a popular sweetener often touted as a healthier alternative to high-fructose corn syrup, has been found to contain a similar range of arsenic levels as brown rice grain.
According to Angelika Tritscher, the coordinator for risk assessment and management with the WHO Department of Food Safety in Geneva, Codex attempted to set a standard for brown rice and proposed a value of 0.4 mg/kg, but could not reach agreement because of insufficient data on arsenic levels in brown rice occurring globally. The discussion of such a standard will be continued at the next meeting of the Codex Committee on Contaminants in food in March 2015.
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