Organic Brown Rice Syrup, or Arsenic, for short

By Elisabeth

A recent report by Good Morning America stated that there have been low levels of arsenic found in some organic formulas, cereal/energy bars and high-energy foods.

To say I was concerned when I heard about these findings would be an understatement. My son has been drinking organic formula for 11 months now. Luckily, the brand we use, Earth's Best, does not have organic brown rice syrup amongst its ingredients. LUCKILY.

But, that did not stop me from going through my pantry to check the ingredients of other organics products. And what do you know? Clif Kid Z Bars and Cascadian Farm's chewy granola bars DO. PEACHY.

The report stated,

"Cereal bars and high-energy foods using organic brown rice syrup also had higher arsenic concentrations than those without the syrup, the study showed.

"The baby formula findings are concerning," Jackson said. Infants and people who eat gluten-free diets, which are largely rice-based, are most at risk for consuming too much arsenic via food, he explained, while "the risk for the occasional cereal bar eater is low."

Um, my 6 year old has a Clif Bar every day for a snack at school. AND, both the 6 and 3 yr old get Cascadian Farm's granola bars on our way to piano and sports practice. We are not OCCASIONAL.

So, I'm asking you this, dear reader. What do you take from this article? Does this send you in a tailspin like the one I might be having and never touch these products again? Or, is it just like anything else, moderation is key? Or, is this just a crock and we should all sit around drinking brown rice syrup till the cows come home?

Also, what other products out there could I substitute for snacks? (Besides the obvious fruit and cheese stick!)

{photo credit: me}

Comments

[Sarah Lena]

Um, wow. Oh, not good. We also are big CliffZ bar fantatics. Like, daily consumption.

So.. hm. My current plan of attack is to cool my heels for a day or two and wait for the non-scary medical reports to start coming out. I think this may be similar to the ARSENIC'S IN ALL THE APPLE JUICE fire drill of last year.

[Diane]

I feel like there is so much crap in everything that we eat, whole food or not, that I don't even know what to make of it anymore. Even if I grew all my vegetables myself, who is to know what is in the water supply and the soil? It's all just TERRIFYING and I've found I've got to let as much of it go as I can, or I will drive myself crazy.

I'd like to see more research done on this before I get too worried, mostly because it seems oddly focused on organic foods, when brown rice syrup is in a LOT of non-organic foods. And what about the brown rice itself? Shouldn't they be testing THAT?

[Nic]

It is amazing what is in our foods. I'm surprised by Clif bars having it in them since they're independently owned. I'm not surprised by Cascadian Farms, sadly. I was a big fan of their cereals and found out a few weeks ago that they are, in fact, owned by General Mills. I think we're more likely to find contamination and craftily named ingredients in organic offshoots of major companies as they're trying to reduce costs. Brown rice isn't a natural sweetener so it has to undergo many processes to become a sweetener. The more processes, the more likely the contamination. Have you tried KIND bars? They may be a good substitute. I think Nature's Path & Barbara's both make bars. The other option is to make your own http://www.browneyedbaker.com/2012/02/28/chewy-chocolate-chip-granola-bars/.

[Erica]

Hard boiled/deviled eggs. make your own trail mix. I have been hooked on spicy chick peas baked in the oven. anything in a little taco wrap

[Tammi]

I literally just bought my daughter a handful of the Clif Bars this morning... she's definitely an "occasional" eater of these snacks, but I'm with the other ladies here...I just wonder how much is truly "too much", and how much we can actually control without making a full time job out of growing and creating ALL of our own food...definitely good to start the dialogue.

[Heather]

I think the arsenic is coming from the rice itself, not the process of making the rice syrup. The issue is in all rice products, not just brown rice syrup. This article may clear up some of the questions in the original post & comments.

Also - the reason companies like Cascadian Farm & Stoneyfield go to big brands it to bring in more money to offer their organic brands to more consumers. They remain organic & still meet strict independent guidelines, so being owned by General Mills helps both them & GM. It's not really a bad thing.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/02/23/147294466/in-rice-how-much-arsenic-is-too-much

[Andrew]

Most of the clif bar products have Organic Brown Rice Syrup listed as the first ingredient. What a joke that they appear to be a do-good company and are really just peddling an ingredient at multiple levels about known healthy amounts.

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