CR claims international arsenic standards not enough

ARLINGTON, VA -- Two years after first writing about arsenic levels in rice, Consumer Reports (CR) is back at it with a new limited study, consumer recommendations on rice consumption, and a champion in television's Dr. Oz.  But what has the industry, and likely consumers, confused is:  CR seems to be making some leaps and wild guesses to arrive at their recommendations.

"Arsenic in our food supply is a challenging, yet unavoidable, situation which is why we support the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) studying the issue carefully," said Betsy Ward, president and CEO of the USA Rice Federation.  "But CR's new consumption recommendations aren't supported by any science that we've seen."

Ward said U.S.-grown rice has been tested extensively by the industry, labs at land grant universities, and the FDA, and has been found to contain arsenic levels that are below safe maximum levels established by the World Health Organization/Food and Agriculture Organization's Codex Alimentarius in July (see chart below).

CR's representative on the Dr. Oz program today attacked the CODEX standard as being too lax, and their report suggests establishing an inorganic arsenic maximum level 80 parts per billion (ppb) lower than the current standard of 200 ppb.

CR and Oz make a recommendation that infants dramatically reduce rice and rice product intake, but USA Rice says they failed to identify any scientific data that supports the recommendation.

"We as an industry are fully committed to a safe, reliable crop and research to make sure we stay there," said Ward.  "But CR seems to be arriving at these conclusions out of the blue.  We believe that rice is a safe and nutritious food and an important component of a balanced, healthy diet,"

USA Rice is still analyzing the CR study, but says one of the most perplexing claims involves regionality.

"CR's spokesperson, Dr. Urvashi Rangan, encourages consumers to look for basmati rice from India and Pakistan, and if buying American, to look for California rice," said Michael Klein, a USA Rice spokesman.  "All the tests we've seen show that levels of inorganic arsenic are lowest in U.S.-grown rice, regardless of what state it came from." 

Klein said few if any rice packages identify the state where the rice was grown anyway, making the CR recommendation impossible to follow.

"We've seen levels vary from plot to plot and field to field, so making blanket statements about one state versus another is totally unscientific, disingenuous, and misleading," Klein said.  "Analyzing toxins in food is not the same as analyzing which television gives you the best picture in a well-lit room.  CR should let the FDA continue its careful scientific evaluation and make the recommendations to the public."

Contact:  Deborah Willenborg (703) 236-1444

CODEX adopted standards for inorganic arsenic in white rice

Getting an earful on Iraq

WASHINGTON, DC -- Today Senator John Boozman and Congressman Rick Crawford, both Republicans of Arkansas, added their weight to the considerable amount of pressure being brought to bear on the government of Iraq with regard to rice tenders.

Competitive U.S. bids have been shut out of Iraq recently for no apparent or justifiable reason, and today the Arkansas lawmakers sent a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry asking him to help ensure U.S. rice farmers are equally and fairly considered by the Iraqis.

"Our nation's rice farmers have the ability to accommodate Iraq's import needs in both price and quality, and unfairly excluding them from the opportunity to do so is unacceptable," the letter reads in part.

"We welcome the support from Senator Boozman and Congressman Crawford," said Betsy Ward, president and CEO of the USA Rice Federation. "Since the decisions being made in Baghdad seem to be based on politics and not business, it's appropriate for our politicians to get involved as well."

Iraq's latest rice tender, for at least 30,000 metric tons, closed this weekend with bids from the U.S. Results are anticipated later this week.

Contact:  Michael Klein (703) 236-1458

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