Carey et al. 2018 — Inorganic arsenic in infant rice foods and manufacturer response to EU regulations
The 2016 EU regulation set a 100 µg/kg inorganic arsenic (iAs) standard for infant rice-based foods, half the adult standard, to address exposure risk in children who consume ~3-fold more food per body weight than adults and are more sensitive to arsenic toxicity. This study quantified iAs in UK infant food products (porridges, cakes, cereals, mueslis) and their generic equivalents to assess regulatory compliance and identify manufacturer strategies. A strong correlation between rice content and iAs (R² = 0.632, p < 0.0001) indicates that manufacturers are achieving compliance by blending rice with other gluten-free grains rather than sourcing low-arsenic rice alone.
Key numbers
| Product | Type | n | Median iAs µg/kg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infant porridge | Pure rice | 6 | 66 |
| Infant porridge | Multi-grain | 15 | 10 |
| Infant cake | Pure rice | 2 | 60 |
| Infant cake | Multi-grain | 10 | 8 |
| Generic rice cake | — | 14 | 120 |
| Generic puffed rice | White | 5 | 95 |
| Generic puffed rice | Wholemeal | 5 | 140 |
Regulatory standards: EU infant (< 5 years) = 100 µg/kg; EU adult rice = 200 µg/kg; WHO polished rice = 200 µg/kg. Pure baby rice porridge median declined over time: 127 µg/kg (2014) → 114 µg/kg (2016) → 66 µg/kg (2017), p = 0.0393. Number of pure rice cake brands in market decreased from 14 (2014) and 12 (2016) to 2 (2017).
Methods
Ion chromatography with ICP-MS detection (IC-ICP-MS) for arsenic speciation. LOD for iAs and DMAA: 1 µg/kg; half-LOD substitution for censored values. Sample preparation: freeze-dried, powderized via planetary ball mill, microwave digestion in 1% HNO₃, centrifugation. CRM (NIST SRM 1568b rice flour) recovery: iAs 83.7–103.4%, sum of species 96.6%. Statistical methods: Mann-Whitney U test and Kruskal-Wallis ANOVA for median comparison; linear regression for rice content vs. iAs correlation.
Implications
The data document rapid manufacturer response to infant food regulations, demonstrating that both low-arsenic rice sourcing and multi-grain blending strategies achieve 100 µg/kg compliance. For HMTc category thresholds, findings suggest pediatric limits below 100 µg/kg are commercially viable. For courses and training, the paper provides evidence on sourcing and dilution strategies that manufacturers deploy. For app-layer contamination profiling of rice-based infant foods, the strong rice-content correlation (R² = 0.632) and per-product median values support ingredient-weighted iAs prediction. A regulatory gap exists: generic rice products often exceed the infant standard (e.g., 120–140 µg/kg for rice cakes and puffed rice), creating parental confusion and unintended exposure pathways for children given non-infant-labeled products.
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