Causative Cancer Foodwatch warning of carcinogenic arsenic in baby food

Foodwatch: Baby foods made from rice often burdened with carcinogenic arsenic

Time and again experts point out a possible health risk from arsenic in food. The carcinogenic substance is found mainly in rice products. The consumer organization Foodwatch has also found in a recent study that rice flakes and rice waffles for babies are often overly burdened with arsenic.

Arsenic in food

Health experts have been warning of arsenic in our food for years. Even in German beer, the dangerous substance has already been detected. Most of all, rice and rice products often contain a lot of arsenic. This also shows a new investigation by Foodwatch. The consumer organization has detected carcinogenic arsenic in a laboratory test of rice flakes and baby rice wafers in all samples tested.

Rice flakes and rice waffles for babies are often overly burdened with arsenic. This has been determined by the consumer organization Foodwatch in a recent investigation. (Image: Daorson / fotolia.com)

In all investigated products inorganic arsenic was found

Foodwatch has tested 18 baby rice products from Alnatura, Bebivita, dm, Hipp, Holle, Rossmann and Sunval.

In all samples tested of the five rice flake products for the preparation of infant pudding and 13 rice wafers, which are marketed for babies "from the 8th month", inorganic arsenic was found.

As the consumer organization writes in a communication, some were much more heavily burdened than others:

For example, a sample of "organic baby porridge rice flakes" manufacturer Holle contained almost four times as much arsenic as the "Sun Baby Organic rice porridge" Sunval.

The "Hipp apple rice waffles" were almost three times as heavily polluted as the "apple-mango rice waffles" of the Hipp subsidiary Bebivita.

All test results can be found here.

Stress can not be completely avoided

Although an arsenic load can not be completely avoided with rice, the significant differences show, according to Foodwatch, that it is up to the manufacturers to minimize their exposure.

"Babies and toddlers need the best possible protection against carcinogenic substances such as inorganic arsenic", says Johannes Heeg from Foodwatch.

"The manufacturers of baby food are responsible for reducing arsenic exposure to an unavoidable minimum. It is unacceptable that some products contain three to four times more arsenic than others. "

Health risks of arsenic

As Foodwatch explains in a background paper, inorganic arsenic is carcinogenic.

The Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) also explains: "A chronic intake of small amounts of inorganic arsenic compounds over a longer period of time can lead to skin lesions, vascular and nerve damage, as well as promote cardiovascular diseases and reproductive toxicity (teratogenic)."

Light arsenic poisoning, according to health experts in adults can cause symptoms such as cramps, abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhea and kidney failure. It is even more dangerous for children.

Since arsenic can not be completely avoided in rice, BfR is of the opinion that manufacturers should keep the burden as low as possible.

Parents recommend that the institute feed rice foods such as rice waffles or rice porridge only in moderation and alternate with rice-free products. Foodwatch urged manufacturers to provide information on BfR's consumption recommendation on the packaging.

Rice products in the UK contain less arsenic

The European Union prescribes limits for inorganic arsenic in rice and certain rice products.

"Rice intended for the production of food for infants and toddlers may contain a maximum of 0.1 mg / kg of inorganic arsenic," reads the Foodwatch website.

Some of the products examined by the consumer organization were more heavily charged.

"Baby rice foods pose an unnecessary health risk in Germany," said Professor Andrew Meharg from the Institute for Global Food Safety at Queen's University Belfast, who conducted the test on behalf of Foodwatch.

"Low values ​​are feasible: on the British market, baby rice products have very little exposure to arsenic. There is no reason why German manufacturers should not be able to achieve equally low scores. "

Arsenic is naturally present in the earth's crust. Arsenic can enter drinking water via the groundwater and be absorbed by plants. Rice absorbs a lot of arsenic. (Ad)