FDA Reports Baby Rice Cereal is a Leading Source of Arsenic Exposure in Infants

No one of sound mind would think of intentionally lacing their children’s food with poison. But many of us feed our kids, infants even, tiny quantities of arsenic nearly every day.

This is all according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which is taking comments through June after announcing for the first time ever that babies and pregnant women should vary their grains because tests show rice has possibly unsafe levels of arsenic.

Arsenic in Rice Cereal for Babies

Top brands of baby rice cereal, popular for added iron and vitamins, contain enough arsenic to put children at risk for learning and cognitive deficits. And pregnant women are at risk for “adverse” outcomes of their pregnancies if they are regular consumers of rice. Over time, arsenic consumption might contribute to bladder and lung cancers.

For its part, Gerber issued a press release on the same day as the FDA announcement to reassure customers their products are safe. “Gerber rice cereal is safe and already meets the guidance level proposed,” by the FDA, Gerber said.

It’s been safe since at least this year. “We decided to exclusively use California rice in all of our rice-containing dry infant cereal. We chose California rice because California has the lowest arsenic levels for rice grown in the United States.”

It’s a mystery why it’s taken the FDA this long to give caution and a cereal maker to make changes. The supply chain is laced with arsenic. Until the 1980s, insecticides contained arsenic. Arsenic is still used in mass farming animal feed to fend off illness. Animal waste, poultry litter in particular, is a key ingredient of fertilizer for rice crops.

This is not obscure knowledge. The country’s main rice sources are Texas, Missouri, Arkansas and Louisiana. It’s well-known that region’s rice crops are arsenic-tinged capsules. Farmers grouped together to sue nearby poultry producers (all recognizable names) in 2012 in Arkansas state court for poisoning their crops with tainted poultry litter. Further, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has set limits on what levels of arsenic are acceptable in water.

Arsenic Poisoning in Other Foods

Additional reports of arsenic in other food and beverages, wine and juice for example, suggest the poison is woven into nation’s food supply.

The same year the farmers sued poultry producers, there were widely publicized studies by Consumer Reports that found arsenic in juice and rice. The magazine’s November 2012 story said an intensive study showed arsenic present in cereals at risky levels. Earlier in the year, the publication reported that numerous fruit juices contained potentially dangerous levels of the poison.

In 2015, a University of Washington study found arsenic in red wine from top-producing states, Washington, California, New York and Oregon. In a CBS News story, one of the school’s scientists said casual drinkers were not at risk. Those who enjoyed two or three glasses a day might suffer neurological damage and cancer, she said. Others who could be affected were the occasional sippers who then ate other food containing arsenic. The arsenic study prompted litigation against winemakers.

Consumers need to be aware of the widespread presence of arsenic in many products, not just one or two, said one of the study’s authors, Denise Wilson, a professor at the University of Washington.

“I cannot emphasize enough that this is a whole diet problem, not a wine problem,” Wilson told CBS last year.

While the FDA press release was carefully worded and cast no aspersions on rice cereal makers, the agency made a point of saying manufacturers do have the ability to lower arsenic levels in their products.

The FDA now recommends feeding babies a wide variety of other fortified grain cereals such as oatmeal. It advises the same for pregnant women. For more information, the FDA is referring consumers to seven things women and parents need to know.

Defective Product Attorneys

People wanting clean sources of food and drink will need to do their research. “Natural” and “organic” don’t necessarily mean our food is pristine.

Harris Lowry Manton attorneys have decades of experience helping clients with defective products and related claims. If you need help, contact us for a free consultation. Call us toll-free at 404-961-7650 or fill out our online contact form.