<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

Listmembers  - FYI here is a reply from Ener-g Food regarding arsenic in their rice products.  I had emailed them because of concerns I had from reading a recent posting from Tricia Thompson about arsenic in rice.  
Unfortunately I do use a lot of rice based products (bread, flour, crackers, chips, and cheese) since I cannot seem to tolerate some of the other supposedly safe grains - this make me wonder.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: Customer Service 
To: 'Jean lyke' 
Sent: Thursday, September 24, 2009 10:50 AM
Subject: RE: Arsenic


Hello,

Thank you for contacting Ener-G Foods.

Our Rice is grown in the USA, it's mostly from Northern California and it complies with US regulations. Below are a few general facts about arsenic:

Most agricultural products contain arsenic.1   Arsenic is a natural part of soil and water.  Meats, fish and seafood generally has the highest arsenic levels compared to other foods.2,3    The rice Ener-G Foods uses, like any other agricultural based food, will have small amounts of arsenic. Considering water contains arsenic, small amounts of arsenic in our diets isn't a problem.4 

 

All plants contain some arsenic, our rice is no exception, in fact many natural toxic substances exist in plant foods. Simply following a varied diet is a good rule of thumb to ensure optimum health.

 

Please let us know if we can help you with anything else.

 

Customer Service

Ener-G Foods, Inc.

1-800-331-5222

[log in to unmask]

____________________________________________________________________________________

1.) "Arsenic (inorganic and organic) in the diet is contributed by various foods including cereals and breads, 18.1%; starchy vegetables, 14.9%; and meats and fish, 32.1%. About 20% of the daily intake of arsenic is inorganic. Arsenic in water is almost all inorganic and most drinking water contains less than 10 µg As/L and, typically, 2 to 3 µg/L. Drinking water can contribute 20 µg inorganic As/day." Supralife Library, Colloidal Minerals, Arsenic http://www.eagle-min.com/faq/faq94.htm

2.) "Occasional consumption and exposure to low levels of organic arsenic is not a health concern. Organic arsenic is commonly found in seaweed and other marine foods but has not been linked to any human illnesses. Inorganic arsenic, formed from the combination of arsenic with oxygen, chlorine or sulphur, is more toxic and is known to add to the risk of people getting cancer if it is regularly consumed. However, it is not usually found at high levels in food." http://www.nzfsa.govt.nz/consumers/chemicals-nutrients-additives-and-toxins/arsenic/index.htm#P30_1536

3.) Arsenic exists in both organic and inorganic forms in foods, with the latter being more toxic. Fish and seafood can accumulate considerable amounts of organic arsenic from their environment, while the arsenic content of plants is usually determined by the arsenic content of soil, water, air, fertilizers, etc. In general, arsenic in food exists largely in its organic form and high levels of inorganic arsenic are not commonly found.

According to the study, seafood other than fish made the greatest contribution (51%) to dietary exposure to inorganic arsenic, which was followed by fish (26%), cereals and cereal products (10%), vegetables (6%), meat, poultry and their products (4%), and milk and dairy products (3%). These findings were consistent with data in dietary exposure studies conducted in overseas countries including Australia, the USA and the UK which reported seafood accounted for the majority of dietary exposure to arsenic. http://www.cfs.gov.hk/english/multimedia/multimedia_pub/multimedia_pub_fsf_10_01.html Center for Food Safety, Hong Kong

4.) Colloidal Minerals, Arsenic, Supralife Library.   http://www.eagle-min.com/faq/faq94.htm

5.) Arsenic accumulates in rice crops at higher concentrations compared to any other grain due to arsenic contaminated irrigation systems. That said, according to www.sciencedaily.com, "Rice grown domestically in the US "largely contains organic arsenic," whereas, ""rice contaminated with inorganic arsenic prevails in Asia and Europe." American Chemical Society (2008, May 21). Rice Grown In United States Contains Less-dangerous Form Of Arsenic. ScienceDaily.

 

 

From: Jean lyke [mailto:[log in to unmask]] 
Sent: Wednesday, September 23, 2009 2:40 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Arsenic

 

I have recently read several articles about high amounts of arsenic in rice products.  Since I need to maintain a gluten free diet having celiac disease I use a lot of rice base products.  In fact I purchase all my bread (brown rice bread), brown rice flour, and crackers from Ener-g.

Does the Ener-g company have any testing procedure in place for testing the level of arsenic in the rice that is purchased for your bakery goods?  

I have also read that California rice has a lower level of arsenic and rice that is not grown in water.  Where does Ener-g procure their supply of rice?

You may respond to me at [log in to unmask]

Hope you hear from you soon.

Thank you.

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