By: Andrea Marpillero-Colomina and Juan Roberto Madrid, Sustainable Communities team
For many Latino families, rice is the heart of our meals, from arroz con pollo to arroz con leche. It’s affordable, comforting, and part of who we are, starting from the very youngest age; rice comprises about 15% of the diets of Latino babies.
A new(ish) report – What's in the rice your family eats? The arsenic, cadmium, and lead in popular rice brands – that we collaborated on with Healthy Babies Bright Futures (HBBF) highlights the urgent need to protect our loved ones from what we can’t see in our food.
The report found arsenic in 100% of rice samples tested nationwide, and cadmium in 99%. These metals are not added intentionally — rice plants naturally absorb them from soil and water. But when we eat rice often, especially during pregnancy or when it’s consumed by babies, the exposure adds up.
Arsenic can harm the developing brain and nervous system, leading to IQ loss and problems with learning or memory. Over time, it can also increase the risk of bladder, lung, and skin cancers. Cadmium has similar effects and can damage the kidneys. While lead and mercury were also detected in the rice samples, they were found at much lower levels.
Right now, FDA safety limits only apply to instant rice cereal for infants under two years old. The limits are not applied to regular rice, even though rice is often a major part of young children’s diets and metals like arsenic can harm people of all ages. We join HBBF and experts like Jane Houlihan in calling for stronger national protections and labeling, so parents and all consumers can make informed choices.
Here are some easy ways families can reduce exposure to metals and reduce toxicity in rice:
- Lava y cocina tu arroz con más agua: Cook rice in extra water and drain it. This can remove up to 60% of arsenic.
- Vary your grains: Mix in quinoa, barley, or other grains that have much lower levels of arsenic and cadmium.
- Choose safer rice types: California-grown, Thai jasmine, and Indian basmati rice tend to have lower metals levels.
Rice will always have a place on our tables. But by taking simple steps, we can keep our traditions alive and our babies healthy. Food security and environmental health go hand in hand, and our communities deserve to be well-informed about how to stay safe and healthy.
