New Orleans, La. -- The Food and Drug Administration may consider new standards for the levels of arsenic in rice as consumer groups are calling for federal guidance on how much of the carcinogen can be present in food.
So far, FDA officials say they have found no evidence that suggests rice is unsafe to eat. The agency has studied the issue for decades but is in the middle of conducting a new study of 1,200 samples of grocery-store rice products - short and long-grain rice, adult and baby cereals, drinks and even rice cakes - to measure arsenic levels.
The magazine Consumer Reports says rice products contain high levels of arsenic, a poison linked to various cancers. One medical professional says, while this may sound like a dire warning, you may not need to give up your Monday red beans and rice just yet. Red beans and rice, jambalaya and baby cereal are all considered healthy foods, in reasonable doses.
"Its the dose that determines the poison," said Dr. James Diaz, the head of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences in the LSUHSC School of Public Health. "I think we should be concerned, but we should not overreact."
Consumer Reports tested 60 rice products in a recent study. The results of that test prompted the FDA to expand its testing of grocery-store rice products. The government agency plans to consider the new safety guidelines based on these tests.
Diaz said, "They are small amounts and the EPA, for example, has been monitoring for many years the inorganic arsenic levels in drinking water... They've actually set a maximum level for that and every now and then they revisit that. We actually haven't set that maximum level, safe level for inorganic arsenic in foods."
The Consumer Reports study is most concerned with setting guidelines for baby cereal and formula, as infants' small bodies react differently to smaller amounts of chemicals.
Sabrina Swayder, a member of the New Orleans Food Co-Op, takes extra care with her food. She said, "If it's not naturally there, I'm not eating it."
According to the studies, the harmful form of arsenic is naturally in the soil and Diaz says all plants absorb some of the metal. He said, "Arsenic is a chemical. It's a metal. It's everywhere. It's in the soil. It's in our water."
Dr. Diaz suggests you don't give up your favorite meals, but also do everything in moderation. Diaz said, "If you eat too much rice, that is not good for your diet. If you drink too much water, that is not good for you."
Diaz cautions the benefits of rice may greatly outweigh the arsenic risk. He said, "Grain, particularly rice, is a high source of iron and its also an important source of selenium. Rice actually concentrates selenium and selenium is an essential mineral."
Swayder said, "I've always learned that whole grain brown rice is extremely healthy. It's one of the healthiest foods on the planet and when I eat it, I feel balanced and good and healthy."
Diaz said, "We also need to be concerned that we are eating a variety of foods so that we can reduce any potential chemical that we might not even know about."
The Consumer Reports study found higher levels of arsenic in brown rice than white rice, a result of how the two different types are processed. It also found higher levels in rice produced in southern U.S. states than in rice from California or Asia.
Rice growers jumped on the report. A statement from the industry group USA Rice Federation said that U.S. rice growers do not use arsenical pesticides.
"We understand that 'arsenic' is an alarming word, but we believe it is important for consumers to know that arsenic is a naturally occurring element in our air, water, rocks and soil," the group said in a statement. "This is how plants uptake arsenic. As a result, it's always been in the food supply and is in many healthy foods that are consumed by billions of people every day."
This report is compiled from FOX 8's reporting and content from the Associated Press (Copyright 2012; All rights reserved.)
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