FDA Takes Steps To Reduce Infant Exposure To Arsenic In Baby Food

The FDA has issued a “draft guidance“ to the baby food industry proposing a limit of 100 parts per billion for inorganic arsenic in rice cereal, the main source of arsenic exposure in infants. Because of their small size, babies under the age of one consume about three times more rice – relative to their weight – than adults. FDA testing found that most infant rice cereal being sold today either meets or approaches the proposed limit. Manufacturers can produce infant rice cereal that meets or is below the proposed limit by sourcing rice with lower inorganic arsenic levels, the agency said.