When people see the words Arsenic and Food in the same sentence, especially if it is a headline from Consumer Reports, customer concerns can be expected. However, a closer reading of the Consumer Reports article can put the issue in better perspective and help alleviate some of these concerns.
Take, for example, their treatment of the comparison of arsenic exposure from rice versus that from EPA standards for water:
No federal limit exists for arsenic in most foods, but the standard for drinking water is 10 parts per billion (ppb). Keep in mind: That level is twice the 5 ppb that the EPA originally proposed and that New Jersey actually established. Using the 5-ppb standard in our study, we found that a single serving of some rices could give an average adult almost one and a half times the inorganic arsenic he or she would get from a whole day’s consumption of water, about 1 liter. (1)
By using the 5ppb standard, which is actually the strictest in the nation and not the standard established by the EPA, as opposed to the established EPA standard of 10ppb, they make it seem as if exposure from rice is higher than that from the EPA standard from water, when in fact it is substantially lower than that of the established EPA standard. This claim also seems to be based not on the mean of tests results from their study, but from “some rices,” likely those at the higher end of the testing range.
A person eating a serving of rice, even if the results of Consumer Reports are fully corroborated, will be exposed to less arsenic than the established EPA standard for safe drinking water.
Further on in the article we find that rice is far from the highest contributor, coming in third behind fruit and fruit juices and vegetables:
Rice is not the only source of arsenic in food. A 2009-10 study from the EPA estimated that rice contributes 17 percent of dietary exposure to inorganic arsenic, which would put it in third place, behind fruits and fruit juices at 18 percent, and vegetables at 24 percent. (2)
Unfortunately, many media outlets have failed to pick up these subtleties when reporting on this study, likely leading to greater customer concern than is warranted by the data. Perhaps the story would have been received a bit differently if headlines had been “Rice comes in third, behind fruits and vegetables in study on arsenic,” or “Exposure from rice is less than that of established standards for drinking water.”
What is needed is an ongoing conversation within the context of the established historical healthfulness of U.S. produced rice that begins incorporating this newly available data, not a conversation based on sensationalized headlines.
It is important to remember that rice has been cultivated in the U.S. for over 300 years and in the South for over 150 years.(3) Of the rice consumed in the U.S., 90% is produced domestically (4) and of the rice grown in the U.S., nearly 80% is grown in the southern region.(5)
As stated by the FDA, “There is an absence of scientific data that shows a causal relationship between those who consume higher levels of rice and rice products and the type of illnesses usually associated with arsenic.” (6)
Still, those within our industry would do well to take the concerns raised by Consumer Reports seriously, and welcome the development of new food safety standards that take these concerns into account. Also, our industry should move toward broader testing and support research to identify and establish management practices that bring us even further below acceptable levels so that our valued customers can be reassured that their health is of paramount importance.
Meanwhile, customers should be reassured by a 2012 World Health Organization study showing arsenic levels in U.S. rice below that of other rice producing regions, including Australia, China, the European Union, and Japan. (7)
The FDA has stated that it is “critical to not get ahead of the science,” and that “Based on the currently available data and scientific literature the FDA does not have an adequate scientific basis to recommend changes by consumers regarding their consumption of rice and rice products.” (8)
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Sources
1.http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2012/11/arsenic-in-your-food/index.htm
2. http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2012/11/arsenic-in-your-food/index.htm
3.http://www.lsuagcenter.com/en/our_offices/research_stations/Rice/Features/Publications/The+History+of+US+Rice+Produc tion++Part+1.htm
4. http://www.foodreference.com/html/art-rice-history.html 5.http://www.usda.gov/nass/PUBS/TODAYRPT/acrg0612.pdf
6. http://deltafarmpress.com/rice/us-rice-industry-responds-consumer-reports-arsenic-study 7.http://www.usarice.com/doclib/188/218/6252.pdf 8.http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm319972.htm
