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The only product recalled at this time is the Beech-Nut Single Grain variety rice (UPC code number 52200034705), which has an expiration date of 01MAY2022 and product codes 103470XXXX and 093470XXXX.
“Beech-Nut is concerned about the ability to consistently obtain rice flour well below the level of FDA guidelines and Beech-Nut specifications for naturally occurring inorganic arsenic,” the FDA said.
In its announcement, the FDA quoted Jason Jacobs, Beech-Nut’s vice president for food safety and quality.
“Infant and child safety is Beech-Nut’s top priority. We are issuing this voluntary recall, because we have learned through routine sampling by the State of Alaska that a limited amount of single-grain beech and hazelnut cedar products have normal levels of non-invasive arsenic. Organic is above the FDA’s guidance level, although rice flour was used to produce these products that have been tested below the FDA’s guidance level for inorganic arsenic,” Jacobs said.
Growing concern over high levels of arsenic
The Food and Drug Administration first suggested a maximum limit for arsenic in baby rice cereal in 2016 when studies found that nearly half (47%) of baby rice cereals taken from retail stores in 2014 contained 100 parts per billion of arsenic or more. . The agency ended the cap in August 2020.
“To our knowledge, this is the first recall of baby rice cereal due to high arsenic levels,” said Jane Houlihan, director of research at Healthy Babies Bright Futures, a consumer advocacy group that studies levels of toxic metals in baby foods.
In 2019, Healthy Babies Bright Futures found that four of seven infant cereals they tested contained more than 100 parts per billion of arsenic.
“The FDA’s announcement of the recall is great news,” Houlihan said. “It is very important for children that these pills do not reach the market. We fully support FDA enforcement actions to help reduce arsenic exposure for these vulnerable youngsters.”
tightening restrictions
In March of this year, the Food and Drug Administration told all baby food manufacturers that they should consider toxic chemicals when testing their baby food for potential risks, and the agency’s action came one month after a congressional investigation found that many baby food manufacturers had sold Aim for baby food that contains high levels of toxic heavy metals. A congressional investigation examined internal documents submitted by four leading baby food manufacturers: Gerber; Beech-Nutrition Nutrition Company; The Nurture Company, which sells Happy Baby products; and Hain Celestial Group, Inc. , which sells the best organic baby food on Earth. “Dangerous levels of toxic metals such as arsenic, lead, cadmium and mercury are found in baby food at levels that exceed what experts and governing bodies say are permissible,” Democratic Rep. Raja Krishnamurthy of Illinois told CNN when the report was released. Krishnamurthy is chair of the House Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy, which conducted the investigation, which was signed by Democrats.
Krishnamurthy said spreadsheets provided by manufacturers were “shocking” because they showed evidence that some baby foods contained hundreds of parts per billion of dangerous metals.
“However, we know that in many cases we should have no more than one-digit portion per billion of any of these minerals in any of our foods,” he told CNN.
The subcommittee found that whether or not baby food is organic, levels of toxic metals remain high.
At the time, Gerber, Beech-Nut, Nurture and Hain told CNN that they implement strict testing and quality standards for the products they sell.
Arsenic hazards
Arsenic is a naturally occurring element found in soil, water, and air, and its inorganic form is the most toxic. (“Inorganic” is a chemical term and has nothing to do with the method of cultivation.)
Because rice is grown in water, it is particularly good at absorbing inorganic arsenic and, according to the Food and Drug Administration, has the highest concentration of any food. Arsenic concentrations were twice as high in the urine of children who ate white or brown rice. who did not eat rice, according to a 2016 study. Arsenic levels were higher in children who ate rice cereal, often given several times a day to introduce children to solids.
If you thought unhulled brown or wild rice might be healthier options, think again. They contain more arsenic than white rice, because the milling process used to make white rice removes the outer layers of the grain, where much of the arsenic is concentrated.
You can’t rely on organic foods either. A 2012 study found that brown rice syrup, a frequent sweetener in organic foods, was also a source of significant levels of arsenic. “Organic” milk formula marketed to young children contains levels of inorganic arsenic that are six times the levels currently considered safe by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Experts say arsenic is a known carcinogen that can affect the risk of cardiovascular, immune and other diseases, but the effect on a child’s developing brain is the most worrisome.
A 2004 study looked at children in Bangladesh who were exposed to arsenic in drinking water and found that they scored significantly lower on intellectual tests. A meta-analysis of studies on this topic found that a 50% increase in urine arsenic levels may be associated with a 0.4 point decrease in IQ for children ages 5 to 15, and other studies have looked at how inorganic arsenic is used. Exposure during pregnancy may alter the baby’s immune system. A 2013 study of arsenic levels in pregnant women who consumed rice products found that even low levels of inorganic arsenic exposure in utero were associated with respiratory infections in infants in the first four months of life. Children exposed to the highest levels were associated with severe infections that needed antibiotics to resolve.
Because of these concerns, child safety advocates have criticized the FDA’s cut-off levels of arsenic in cereals, saying they are not low enough to adequately protect infants.
“In determining the level of action driving the recall, the FDA did not consider the damage to infants’ developing brains and failed to account for children who ate more than average amounts of rice,” Houlihan said.
National diet surveys show Hispanic infants and toddlers are 2.5 times more likely to eat rice on a given day than other children, according to Healthy Babies Bright Futures, while Asian Americans eat nearly 10 times more rice than the average. the National.
Additionally, the group said that children with celiac disease — a wheat intolerance — often eat rice products instead, and therefore eat about 14 times more arsenic than other children.
“The FDA should lower the limit,” Houlihan said. “In the meantime, parents have options — other types of baby cereal contain on average one-sixth as much arsenic as baby rice, on average, which are safer options.”
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