STUTTGART, AR -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) field office here has provided the USA Rice Federation with a "No Transgenic Rice Letterhead Statement" that is available for use by any exporter of U.S. rice.

The statement reads, in its entirety: "There are no transgenic rice varieties for sale or in commercial production in the United States at this time."

Sandra Metheny, Field Office Manager for GIPSA's Stuttgart office confirms that it is not necessary for exporters to perform any additional testing of rice.

A copy of the letter may be downloaded from the USA Rice website here.

Contact:  Michael Klein (703) 236-1458

Nothing new here

LONDON, ENGLAND -- On Monday evening the BBC4 aired a program, "Rice: How Safe is Our Food?" that looked at arsenic levels in some popular British rice-based foods.

Leaked in advance to the media, the program garnered at least three sensationalist print articles over the weekend.  First in The Mirror ("Arsenic found in Rice Krispies, Boots Baby rice cakes and Organix Baby Rice say researchers"), then in the Daily Mail ("Cereal Killers?"), and finally in the venerable Sunday Times ("Yummy! Snap, crackle and a drop of arsenic").

The reports focus on tests purportedly conducted by the TV program producers on 81 samples of rice products.  Those tests allegedly show 58 percent of products tested exceeded proposed inorganic arsenic levels being considered in Europe.  A common denominator to all the reports is Dr. Andrew Meharg who has long railed against the scientifically-established food safety standards for arsenic and rice.

Missing from all the British reports was the fact that the United Nation's CODEX committee, the global group responsible for establishing food safety recommendations for the world, has been studying rice and arsenic for years.  Earlier this year they made a recommendation for a maximum level of inorganic arsenic in white rice of 200 parts per billion.  And while they are still working on brown rice standards, the USA Rice Federation has gone on record as saying they are confident U.S.-grown rice falls below this level.

"This is a serious issue and while it is easy to frighten consumers, especially new parents, it is also irresponsible," said USA Rice Federation President and CEO Betsy Ward.  "There's a lot of science here that the British media reports are glossing over, ignoring, or twisting to make an exciting story.  I can't speak to the specific products tested in the U.K., but at the end of the day, U.S.-grown rice is safe."

Ward said the U.S. industry is devoting a great deal of time and resource to studying food safety and regularly shares findings with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Contact:  Michael Klein (703) 236-1458

Rice dryers await review

WASHINGTON, DC -- On Friday October 31, the Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Air and Radiation (OAR) informed the rice industry that the comment due date for the proposed revision to the New Source Performance Standards for grain elevators and rice dryers has been further extended from November 6 to Monday, December 22.

The primary reason for the extension is due to numerous requests from state agencies for additional time to respond to the proposal.  The comment period had already been extended once by industry request.

USA Rice is working on comments to the proposal and is also working with a coalition of other grain entities on the issue.

Contact:  Steve Hensley (703) 236-1445

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