Is it safe to drink rice milk in coffee every morning?

What's actually in it

Rice milk is made from rice, water, and a bit of oil or starch. It inherits whatever the rice grain contained, including inorganic arsenic, the toxic form that rice pulls out of flooded soil. Most other plant milks (oat, almond, soy, pea) don't have this problem because their base crops don't hyperaccumulate arsenic.

A daily splash in coffee is about 100 to 200ml. Over a year, that's roughly 40 liters. The intake isn't trivial.

What the research says

A 2026 study in Foods tested inorganic arsenic in rice-based beverages on the Italian market and ran dietary exposure calculations. Regular users, especially children substituting rice milk for dairy, came close to or exceeded the tolerable intake threshold. Plain rice milk had the highest levels; flavored versions were similar.

The cleanest swap for coffee is oat or soy milk: both froth well, both have much lower metal content. Almond works if you don't mind the thinner texture. Pea milk is a newer option with good nutrition and low contaminants. Reserve rice milk for occasional use rather than a daily driver. If a child has a severe allergy that forces rice milk, ask the pediatrician about varying brands, since arsenic levels differ a lot between sources.