Overview
FDA’s September 2013 release includes results first posted in September 2012. The rice categories include basmati, jasmine, brown, instant, parboiled and white long-, medium- and short-grain products. Category averages describe these sampled products, with different origins, milling and preparation; they do not isolate a cultivar effect or establish a current market ranking.
Key numbers
Summary table (iAs as mcg/serving, based on FDA Reference Amounts Customarily Consumed — RACC):
| Product | Average iAs (mcg/serving) | Range (mcg/serving) | n |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hot/Ready-to-eat Cereal | 3.2 | 0.6–30 | 110 |
| Infant Cereal | 1.8 | 0.6–3.8 | 69 |
| Toddler Cereal | 1.5 | 1.0–2.7 | 16 |
| Rice Protein Powders | 1.9 | 0.1–5.7 | 12 |
| Rice Cakes | 4.3 | 0.7–8.2 | 59 |
| Savory Rice Snacks | 2.2 | 0.4–5.2 | 119 |
| Non-Dairy Rice Drinks | 3.3 | 0.7–11 | 61 |
| Pasta | 6.6 | 3.6–11 | 23 |
| Rice (Basmati) | 3.5 | 0.9–9.0 | 53 |
| Rice (Brown) | 7.2 | 1.5–11 | 99 |
| Rice (Instant) | 2.6 | 1.4–6.0 | 14 |
| Rice (Jasmine) | 3.9 | 1.5–6.8 | 13 |
| Rice (Parboiled) | 5.1 | 3.2–8.6 | 39 |
| Rice (White, long grain) | 4.6 | 1.0–8.8 | 149 |
| Rice (White, medium grain) | 3.6 | 1.8–7.8 | 91 |
| Rice (White, short grain) | 3.5 | 2.3–4.6 | 23 |
| Infant Formula | 0.1 | 0.02–0.1 | 10 |
| Beer | 2.1 | 0.4–9.4 | 65 |
Geographic data for brown rice (mcg inorganic arsenic (iAs)/serving): Arkansas 4.8–8.8, California 1.5–11 (mean lower), Louisiana 6.2–11, Texas 5.6–11. Basmati California range: 1.2–4.7 mcg/serving; Basmati India range: 0.9–6.5 mcg/serving. The single highest value in the entire dataset was a rice bran cereal at 30 mcg iAs/serving. LOD and LOQ are included as a separate appendix in the full document (not extracted from pages 1–5; per FDA documentation, speciation was performed when total arsenic (As) exceeded a threshold, and half the total As value was used as the iAs proxy when speciation was not triggered).
Methods (brief)
Market basket surveillance sampling from US retail channels, September 2012 and September 2013. Product categories and serving sizes based on 21 CFR 101.12 RACC. iAs measurement: speciation performed when total As exceeded threshold; for samples below total As threshold, half the total As value was used as iAs proxy for calculating averages (conservative estimate). Full analytical results tables (67 pages) include sample-level data with origin state/country. This is a regulatory data release, not a peer-reviewed publication; methods details are in FDA’s companion technical documents.
Basis and interpretation
The rice footnote specifies a 45 g dry-weight serving (printed page 11, PDF page 12). Category means in the summary can therefore be converted from µg per serving to µg/kg dry rice by multiplying by 1000/45. The original means, ranges and sample counts remain the source facts; converted values are approximate because the means are rounded. Full analytical tables also report dry-weight ppb. This is a dry-weight result, not a cooked-rice concentration.
Basmati and jasmine groups include both brown and white products. Their averages also reflect different origins and preparations. FDA cautions that reported origins may identify packaging rather than growing location and that the survey was not designed to infer state or country differences. Summary averages include substitutions for some non-speciated and non-detected samples. No confidence interval, significance test, causal variety effect or current lot prediction is inferred.
The rice profile retains eight category summaries and same-survey descriptive comparisons. The heterogeneous “Other” category, which includes wild rice and mixtures, is excluded from these comparisons. Original per-serving values and the conversion are available in the evidence overlay.
Related evidence
HMI reference use
The full analytical rice table supplies 481 records in the eight retained categories (53 basmati, 99 brown, 14 instant, 13 jasmine, 39 parboiled, 149 white long-grain, 91 white medium-grain and 23 white short-grain). HMI calculates category medians for cross-study dry-grain references, keeping total arsenic, inorganic arsenic and DMA separate. The 2012 release is already included and is not counted again. Non-speciated species are bounded by total arsenic; trace estimates retain their analytical uncertainty. The original category averages remain the displayed findings.
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