Arsenic in rice-based infant foods sold in Australia
What it found
In 39 rice-based infant food samples from Australia, nearly 75% had inorganic arsenic above the EU limit for infants and children.
The authors estimate that infants eating large amounts of rice pasta or crackers may take in concerning levels of arsenic.
What they found
Studies in people
Dietary exposure estimates
For 9-month-old infants, the estimated arsenic exposure from rice pasta or rice crackers at the 90th percentile reached levels that the authors say may pose a health risk. For 2 to 5 year-olds, exposure was about 1.6 times higher than for infants.
Other findings
Inorganic arsenic levels
Nearly 75% of the rice-based samples had inorganic arsenic above 0.1 mg per kg, the EU maximum level for infants and children. The mean inorganic arsenic made up as much as 84.8% of the total arsenic.
Rice content and arsenic
In rice crackers, higher total arsenic was linked to a higher proportion of rice in the product. Rice-based foods had significantly more total arsenic than non-rice foods.
Brown rice and arsenic
Brown rice crackers had a higher mean total arsenic level (0.17 mg per kg) than white rice crackers (0.095 mg per kg). The authors say this may be because the outer layer of brown rice contains more arsenic.
Country of origin
Rice-based foods from China had the lowest mean total arsenic (0.10 mg per kg), while those from the USA had the highest (0.24 mg per kg). Australian products and those made from Australian and imported ingredients had mean levels of 0.21 and 0.18 mg per kg.
What the authors conclude
“This study concludes that there may be unacceptable risks due to elevated As consumption for Australian infants consuming a large amount of rice-based products, especially rice pasta and rice crackers, in their diet.”
Also in their conclusions
- They say that the concentrations of inorganic and total arsenic in some rice-based infant foods sold in Australia are concerning for children who eat multiple servings regularly.
- They advise that current Australian guidelines for arsenic in food are based on adult consumption and are not protective of high-sensitivity consumers like infants and young children.
- They conclude that there may be unacceptable risks from elevated arsenic consumption for Australian infants who eat large amounts of rice-based products, especially rice pasta and rice crackers.
How it was done
Rice-based products are widely used to feed infants and young children, and rice plants take up more arsenic than similar cereal crops. There was limited information on arsenic in these products in Australia.
They bought 39 samples of rice milk powder, rice cereal, rice crackers and rice pasta from supermarkets in Melbourne, Australia, plus 6 comparison samples of milk powder and wheat pasta with no rice. They measured total and inorganic arsenic in the foods and estimated dietary exposure for 9-month-old infants and 2 to 5 year-old children using Australian consumption data.
What it can’t tell you
- This study measured arsenic levels in food and estimated exposure. It did not follow children over time to see if they actually developed any health problems.
- The exposure estimates rely on average consumption data and may not reflect what any one child eats.
Who paid
- Conflicts
- The authors declare no conflict of interest.
- Authors work at
- RMIT University, Australia
The paper
- Title
- Arsenic Concentrations and Dietary Exposure in Rice-Based Infant Food in Australia
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Gu Z, de Silva S, Reichman SM (2020). Arsenic Concentrations and Dietary Exposure in Rice-Based Infant Food in Australia. International journal of environmental research and public health. doi:10.3390/ijerph17020415Free full textPubMed 31936289DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error