You might imagine that when a label reads organic food it should be exactly that, right? Well, as a new study suggests what’s in your baby’s so called organic food and formula isn’t exactly organic.
A Consumer Reports analysis lead to a study that showed some products, so called organic, contain traces of arsenic. From orange juice to baby formulas and cereal bars to organic brown rice syrup, the products studied came up with levels of arsenic that actually exceed the U.S. standards for bottled water.
Researchers at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire took samples from 17 baby formula, 29 cereals bars and 3 energy shots and tested them for levels of arsenic. The results are to say the least disturbing.
Out of the 17 baby formula tested, two of them were sweetened with organic brown rice syrup. One of those two tested with an arsenic concentration six times the federal limit for bottled water, meaning 60 parts per billion. Both had traces of arsenic levels 20 times higher than the other formulas.
According to scientists, the organic brown rice syrup is major source of inorganic arsenic, due to its basic ingredient, rice. Brian Jackson, lead researcher in the study, said that it would be better for babies and toddlers to not be fed with organic brown rice syrup based formula. “It’s probably not a good thing for an infant to be exposed to those levels of arsenic. We don’t know the effects of long-term exposure”, said Jackson.
Although the scientists did not disclose the brands of formula that contained high levels of arsenic, an online research conducted by ABC News showed that there two products that list organic brown rice syrup as the main ingredient: Baby’s Only What’s In Your Baby’s So Called Organic Food & Formula.
Meanwhile, out of the 29 cereal bars that were tested, 22 were rice based. All of the 22 had arsenic traces higher than other related food products that lacked organic brown rice syrup. Jackson stated: “I don’t think there’s much risk associated with eating a cereal bar every couple of days. But it is a source of arsenic that we may not be considering”.
It is misleading to target organic foods in this study. For decades, rice has been recognized as a source of arsenic contamination from soil and water sources involved in production. There is nothing focused on organic foods. If there are levels of concern, then all rice would be suspect., not just organic rice, and not just rice syrup.