Many popular rice products contain “worrisome levels” of
arsenic, a substance that is a known carcinogen, Consumer
Reports has found in a new study. The magazine’s report is
prompting consumer groups to increase pressure on the U.S. Food
and Drug Administration to set more stringent limits on how much
arsenic can be present in rice and other foods. The Consumer
Reports study comes on the heels of a January investigation in
which the magazine found troubling levels of arsenic in apple
and grape juice products. The results led the magazine to study
some 200 samples of a host of rice products, many of them
popular brands found on grocery store shelves, including organic
ones and those aimed at the growing “gluten free” market. “The
results of our tests were even more troubling in some ways than
our findings for juice. In virtually every product tested, we
found measurable amounts of total arsenic in its two forms. We
found significant levels of inorganic arsenic, which is a
carcinogen, in almost every product ca