Let’s Chat Rice Cereal and Arsenic - Fact or Fiction?

Every year, the same headline

Over the years there have been several studies looking at arsenic in rice products. Which leads to news articles. Which leads to community concern. Which leads to a fresh wave of blogs, reels and Instagram posts telling parents that rice is toxic and infant rice cereal must be binned immediately.

So - do you actually need to worry about arsenic in your baby's food? Before you swear off sushi, let's dig into it.

Why rice, and not everything else?

Arsenic occurs naturally in soil and water. Rice happens to take up more of it than most other crops, because of the way it's grown - sitting in flooded paddies, it absorbs more from the ground.⁽¹⁾ That's it. It isn't a conspiracy, and it isn't something added to the food.

The form we care about is inorganic arsenic, and because babies eat a lot of food relative to their body size, regulators have paid close attention to infant rice products specifically.

What happened when Australia actually tested it

Have you heard of FSANZ? Probably not - most people haven't. FSANZ stands for Food Standards Australia New Zealand, and it's their job to develop and enforce our food standards. In short: making sure our food is safe is literally their day job.

Off the back of several studies on arsenic in commercial rice products, researchers tested around 200 rice products available in Australia and New Zealand.⁽¹⁾ Most did contain some arsenic - which is expected, given it's naturally present in soil - but at levels well below the Australian maximum limits, with only a couple exceeding the (stricter) European limits.

Overseas, regulators have taken the same approach: the US FDA set an action level for inorganic arsenic in infant rice cereal, and monitors it.⁽³⁾

So what does that actually mean for your baby?

It means you don't need to be frightened of rice.

It also means you shouldn't serve rice five times a day - but interestingly, not mainly because of arsenic. If your baby is filling up on rice, rice crackers, rice cereal and rice puffs all day long, the bigger issue is what they're not eating: the protein, iron, fats, vitamins and minerals their rapidly growing body needs. Little tummies have limited real estate.

The one thing to do instead of panicking: rotate your grains

Here's the practical, no-drama answer - and it's what regulators actually recommend.

Iron-fortified infant cereal is a genuinely useful first food. It's one of the easiest ways to get iron into a baby at an age when iron needs are enormous. So we don't want to throw it out.

We just don't want it to be only rice. The FDA's advice (echoed by the American Academy of Paediatrics) is simply to offer a variety of iron-fortified cereals - oat, barley and multigrain - rather than relying on rice alone.⁽³⁾

Variety solves the problem. Fear doesn't.

A few easy swaps:

• Alternate between oat, barley, multigrain and rice infant cereals rather than buying the same box every time.
• Mix up the grains at meals more broadly - oats, quinoa, pasta, couscous, bread.
• Keep iron-rich foods front and centre - meat, chicken, fish, eggs, legumes and tofu do the heavy lifting. (See What's The Deal With Iron For Babies?)
• Don't stress about the occasional rice cracker. Truly.

But what about rice-based formula?

For parents of babies with a cow's milk protein allergy, a rice-based formula is sometimes the only option - and swapping it isn't a choice they get to make freely.

You can rest easy here too. Regulators monitor arsenic in cereal-based infant products, and levels continue to sit below the maximum permitted levels in Australia. There's also research showing very low levels of inorganic arsenic in hydrolysed infant rice formulas.⁽²⁾

The take-home

You don't need to be fearful of offering your bub rice.

Yes, rice naturally contains more arsenic than some other plants. Yes, that's worth regulators watching - and they do. But there are strict food safety limits on what's sold on Australian shelves, and the sensible response is not to purge your pantry. It's to offer rice as part of a varied diet, rotate your grains, and keep iron-rich foods at the centre of the plate.

Those rice crackers can stay put.

Rice, arsenic and babies: FAQs

Is infant rice cereal safe for babies?
Yes. Iron-fortified infant cereal is a valuable first food. Just rotate in oat, barley and multigrain versions rather than only using rice.⁽³⁾

Should I stop giving my baby rice altogether?
No. Rice can absolutely be part of a varied diet. The concern only arises when rice products dominate the diet day after day.

Are rice crackers and rice puffs a problem?
Not in normal amounts. If they're a daily staple, it's worth mixing in other snacks - as much for the nutrition as for the arsenic.

What about rice-based formula for allergy babies?
It's monitored and levels sit below permitted limits, with research showing very low inorganic arsenic in hydrolysed rice formulas.⁽²⁾ If you need it, use it.

Does rinsing or cooking rice differently help?
Cooking rice in extra water and draining it can reduce inorganic arsenic somewhat. It's optional - variety matters more.

References

1. Ashmore E, Molyneux S, Watson S, Miles G, Pearson A. Inorganic arsenic in rice and rice products in New Zealand and Australia. Food Additives & Contaminants: Part B. 2019;12(4):275-279. doi:10.1080/19393210.2019.1651403
2. Meyer R, Carey MP, Turner PJ, Meharg AA. Low inorganic arsenic in hydrolysed rice formula used for cow's milk protein allergy. Pediatric Allergy & Immunology. 2018;29(5):561-563. PubMed
3. U.S. Food and Drug Administration - Action level for inorganic arsenic in infant rice cereals; advice to offer a variety of iron-fortified infant cereals. fda.gov
4. Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) - Contaminants in food, including arsenic monitoring. foodstandards.gov.au