Buyer Beware: Organic Brown Rice Syrup Contains Excessive Amounts Of Arsenic

Although organic certification usually means foods are free of toxic chemicals, U.S. researchers have found that one organic food contains arsenic, which is both toxic and carcinogenic. The substance was already known to exist in rice, and now has been found in organic brown rice syrup – an alternative to high fructose corn syrup that is gaining popularity as a food sweetener. Researchers analyzed the concentrations of arsenic in commercial food products containing organic brown rice syrup including infant formula, cereal/energy bars, and high-energy sports foods. One of the infant formulas had a total arsenic concentration of six times the EPA safe drinking water limit for total arsenic. Cereal bars and high-energy foods using organic brown rice syrup also had higher arsenic concentrations than those without the syrup.