Popular rice products found in grocery stores all over the world can be harmful to young children. A new study has found excessive levels of a carcinogenic substance in some well-known favorites and is issuing a warning to parents everywhere.
Following the study, the food safety organization reviewed its dietary recommendations on rice, advising that children should not eat rice or rice products such as rice porridge, rice noodles, or breakfast cereal made of puffed rice, such as Rice Crispies, more than four times a week. And with regards to rice cakes, children should completely avoid these.
“We already knew that rice contains arsenic. What we know now is that some products on the market contain fairly high levels of it. Among other things, we have now advised against children under six eating rice cakes. For everyone else, rice cakes are ok in moderation, but it depends on the amount of rice products consumed overall,” said Emma Halldin Ankarberg, a toxicologist at the NFA.
Adults who are large consumers of rice and eat it more than seven times a week should also consider cutting down on their intake.
“If you do eat more rice than that, it’s best if you try to reduce your intake,” she added.