The FDA is now looking into different products now that have been found to contain Arsenic… First Apple and Orange Juice, and now Infant Formula and cereal bars.

Arsenic has been found in some foods that use organic brown rice syrup as a sweetener, including infant formula and cereal bars, according to a new study by researchers at Dartmouth College. The majority of the detected arsenic, a contaminant often found in rice, was the type that is known to be a human carcinogen.

Important findings of the study, published online Feb. 16 by the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives include:

• Two of 17 infant formulas tested listed organic brown rice syrup as the primary ingredient. One had a total arsenic concentration that was six times the federal limit of 10 parts per billion (ppb) for total arsenic in bottled or public drinking water. This is particularly worrisome for babies because they are especially vulnerable to arsenic’s toxic effects due to their small size and the corresponding arsenic consumption per pound of body weight.
• Twenty-two of 29 cereal bars or energy bars tested listed at least one of these four rice products—organic brown rice syrup, rice flour, rice grain or rice flakes – among the top five ingredients. The seven other bars were among the lowest in total arsenic, ranging from 8 to 27 ppb, while those containing syrup or other forms of rice ranged from 23 to 128 ppb.
• Tests of high-energy products known as “energy shots” that are used by endurance athletes and others showed that one of the three gel-like blocks contained 84 ppb of total arsenic, while the other two contained 171 ppb.

– Consumer Reports Full Article

Rice, whether grown organically, or not, is very likely to have higher concentrations of arsenic than other sweeteners because rice takes up natural arsenic from the soil.

I highly recommend you check your infant formula ingredients if you are using Organic formula. It may be all hype, but if you are truly concerned, you may want to consider an alternative product. One such product you can try is the Parent’s Choice Organic Powder Formula! It does not use the organic brown rice syrup as a sweetener! Parent’s Choice, a store brand available at Walmart is less expensive than the name brand alternatives and is nutritionally equal to the more expensive brands, so you can save money (up to 50% off of name brand infant formulas) and still give your baby the nutrients he/she needs!

* I write for Parent’s Choice Formula. I have been compensated for my time and efforts on this post.