Meyer et al. 2018 — iAs in hydrolysed rice formula for cow-milk-allergic infants
Meyer et al. measured iAs in five commercially available hydrolysed rice formulas (HRF) sourced from Italy, France, and Belgium — products intended for infants with cow-milk allergy who cannot tolerate conventional dairy-based or soy-based formulas. All five products showed iAs concentrations substantially above those found in conventional dairy-based infant formulas, with some samples approaching or exceeding concentrations found in rice-based cereal products subject to EU maximum limits. The concern is acute because HRF-fed infants are formula-dependent (HRF is their sole protein and energy source), consume high volumes relative to body weight, and are in the period of greatest developmental arsenic sensitivity; there is no dairy alternative available to them that does not carry the same rice-derived arsenic exposure.
Key numbers
- 5 hydrolysed rice formulas tested (sourced from Italy, France, Belgium)
- iAs range across 5 products: approximately 10–34 µg/L as-prepared (reconstituted per label instructions)
- Converted to dry weight basis: approximately 60–200 µg/kg depending on product dilution ratio
- For comparison: conventional dairy-based infant formula iAs typically <5 µg/L as-prepared
- EU Regulation 2015/1006 applies a 100 µg/kg as-consumed limit to infant rice cereals; no equivalent limit applied to HRF at time of publication
- iAs measured by HPLC-ICP-MS with certified reference materials
- Total As also reported; iAs/tAs ratio approximately 0.6–0.8 in HRF
Methods (brief)
HPLC-ICP-MS for iAs speciation; 5 products; 3 European countries; samples reconstituted per label and analyzed as-prepared; certified reference material (SRM 1568b rice flour) used for method validation.
Implications
Certification: HRF is a clinically mandated product for a vulnerable population (cow-milk-allergic infants) — there is no easy substitution. iAs in HRF deserves its own regulatory limit separate from cereal-based limits. This study is the evidence basis for that argument. Courses: Illustrates that rice-based alternatives to dairy infant formula carry significant iAs burden even when the rice protein is hydrolysed; processing does not remove arsenic. App: HRF should be flagged as a distinct high-risk matrix for iAs in the infant formula product category, separate from the soy-based and dairy-based infant formula categories.