Can rice-based baby food expose infants to arsenic, lead, and cadmium?

What's actually in it

Rice is a natural accumulator of arsenic from soil and water. It also picks up lead, cadmium, and mercury from contaminated agricultural land. When rice is processed into baby cereals, puffs, crackers, and teething biscuits, these metals concentrate in the finished product. Babies eat these foods multiple times a day during the critical first years of brain and organ development.

Rice-based products are especially popular as first foods because they're considered gentle on the stomach and are naturally gluten-free.

What the research says

A 2025 study in Food Chem Toxicol tested rice-containing products marketed for infants and young children and measured arsenic, lead, cadmium, and mercury levels. The results showed that many products contained metals at levels that pose health risks for small children.

Arsenic was the biggest concern. Some rice cereals contained inorganic arsenic, the most toxic form, at levels that could push a baby's daily intake above health-based guidelines. The study calculated that an infant eating rice cereal twice daily could exceed safe arsenic limits.

Variety is the best defense. Alternating rice cereal with oat, barley, or quinoa-based options spreads out the exposure. Rinsing and cooking rice in excess water also reduces arsenic content, though this doesn't help with pre-made baby food products.