Is Your Baby Eating Rice Cereal? It Could Be Toxic

Who wants to feed their baby food with poison in it? No one. But that's exactly what many parents are doing by giving their children rice-based baby foods (cereals, baby rice cakes, and more). A study published last week found that despite strict European Union standards, 75% of these products sold in Europe (some of which are imported to Israel) contain arsenic levels higher than allowed.

Arsenic is a toxic element from the metal family, used among other things as a pesticide. It is also naturally present in trace amounts in foods like rice. However, when infants are exposed to amounts of arsenic higher than permitted, it can harm their normal development. For this reason, the European Union passed a law greatly limiting arsenic amounts in rice products for infants - yet manufacturers seem to ignore this law.

Researchers from Queen's University who conducted the study said: "The study found direct evidence that infants were exposed to illegal amounts of arsenic contrary to EU regulations. Infants are particularly vulnerable to arsenic which can affect their growth, IQ, and immune system."

Rice contains about ten times more arsenic than other foods, and since infants are quickly developing, they are particularly sensitive to the arsenic in rice.

The study compared arsenic levels in the urine of infants fed exclusively with breast milk and infants fed with rice-based formula (often given to babies with milk sensitivity), finding much higher levels in the latter group. After weaning, toddlers were exposed to five times more arsenic compared to before, proving the presence of excessive arsenic amounts in baby products.

Rice-based products, such as cereal, are a popular choice among parents because of rice's nutritional value, availability, and rare allergic reactions. However, researchers warn that despite everything, the dangers of rice should not be forgotten: Since manufacturers continue to ignore the law and produce arsenic-laden rice products, parents should be cautious not to overfeed their babies with such products - at least until baby food manufacturers start following the law.