Foods made with brown rice syrup may contain high levels of arsenic.
February 17, 2012- Brown rice syrup is often used as a substitute for high fructose syrup in a number of organic foods. Nevertheless, it has been found that the syrup has large levels of arsenic. What that means is those people who drink organic cereal bars, infant milk formula or other foods containing brown rice syrup could be in danger.
This is according to research that was led by Brian Jackson from Dartmouth College. Jackson is the director of the school’s Department of Earth Science’s Trace Metals Analysis. He was quick to say the U.S. needs regulatory limits on arsenic levels in foods. Currently there are no regulations in the country for arsenic.
The group tested 27 cereals, 17 infant formulas and 3 kinds of energy drinks and found that the levels present in these foods were substantially higher than the level the government has established for the country’s public drinking water. That rate was set in 2001 at 10 parts per billion. The rate it succeeded was one that was set in 1940 at 50ppb.
The group found cereal bars with levels of arsenic between 23 and 128 ppb. One energy drink had 84 ppb, while the other two reached 171 ppb. The dairy-based formula for infants was 8.6 ppb and the soy-based was 21.4 ppb.
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