New research has found that more than half of Britain's most popular rice products - including Kellogg's Rice Krispies and Smooth Baby Rice by Heinz - exceed proposed new EU limits for arsenic.
While there are low levels of arsenic in most food and water, researchers are now concerned that arsenic can reach much higher levels in rice.
Channel 4's Dispatches, Rice: How Safe is our Food? which will be broadcast on Monday night, tested 81 different products with the Institute for Global Food Security at Queen's University Belfast.
Tests have shown 58 per cent of rice products have exceeded proposed European Union recommended limits for arsenic in children's products, which are expected to come into force next summer
They discovered 58 per cent exceeded proposed European Union recommended limits for children, which are expected to come into force next summer.
Although there are strict limits for the amount of arsenic level allowed in water, there are currently no maximum levels in food - and now some scientists are speaking out as they are concerned about the effects of long-term exposure.
As more evidence emerges about the harm high levels of arsenic might cause, particularly to children, new maximum levels have been proposed by the European Union with the support of the Food Standards Agency.
The proposed new EU recommendations will limit 200 parts of arsenic per billion for adults and just 100 ppb for children and babies.
During the research products including Kelloggs' Rice Krispies and Kallo organic puffed rice cereal were tested multiple times - and some showed high levels of inorganic arsenic, far above the proposed limits.
Organic original puffed rice cereal by Kallo Foods was found to have 323 parts of arsenic per billion (ppb) while Organic wholegrain baby rice by Organix was found to have 268 ppb – 168 per cent above recommended levels for babies and children.
Rice Krispies by Kelloggs were found to have 188 ppb, far above the recommended levels for babies and children.
Baby organic rice cakes by Boots were found to be 162 ppb, and Organic wholegrain banana porridge by Organix at 142 ppb.
These graphs show how much inorganic arsenic the rice products have in them by % above the proposed limits
The graphs show that of these eight products which were tested, the highest levels of inorganic arsenic are found in Organix Organic Wholegrain Baby Rice and Biona Rice Cakes with Quinoa
Smooth Baby Rice by Heinz was found to be 129 ppb– 28.9 per cent above recommended levels for babies and children
Under the proposed new EU rules manufacturers may have to reformulate their recipes or risk having to remove them from shops.
While not harmful in small quantities to humans, scientists say exposure to high levels of inorganic arsenic over a prolonged period can lead to cancer or heart disease.
Professor Andrew Meharg, Professor of Biological Sciences at Queen's University Belfast, told Dispatches: 'The European Union is going to set standards for arsenic levels in baby rice at 100 parts per billion. To my estimation that is far too high. It should be at least half that.
'The limits are set so as not to disrupt the rice trade rather than on the risk to human health.'
People in Britain consume five times the amount of rice they did 40 years ago.
While it is rich in vitamins, fibre and protein, it is also the only common food item with high levels of arsenic.
The levels of arsenic in rice vary by type. Italian brown rice has 160ppb, red rice from France 310ppb and basmati rice from India has just 40ppb.
Dr Diane Benford of the FSA told the Channel 4 programme: 'The risks are related to long-term exposure to arsenic. We are taking action to reduce that exposure.'
She added: 'Parents should not worry. There are no immediate risks.'
The Rice Association, which represents the rice industry in the UK said it 'welcomes' the initiative to establish new arsenic limits in rice.
A spokesman said: 'We can be confident there is no health risk associated with regular consumption of rice purchased in the UK.'
Boots, Organix and Kelloggs told Dispatches they take the safety of their products seriously.
Boots said they will continue to work closely with suppliers and regulatory experts to ensure their baby food is safe and fully complies with any future regulations.
Organix told the programme they test their foods rigorously and parents should have no cause for concern, and added: ‘We welcome proposals for further regulation and we would meet future legislative changes.’
Kellogg's said their cereals are not in the category of foods for infants and young children, and said it's a complex issue and a number of proposed limits are on the table.
A Kelloggs spokesman said: 'The testing we have done shows that the levels are within the limits of the most up to date proposals we have seen. We will continue to work with government agencies, scientists, academics and others in the food industry at a global level to review the data on this topic.'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2817542/More-half-rice-products-exceed-new-EU-limits-ARSENIC.html#ixzz3I1q6k2ex
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