RECALL: High arsenic levels found in some rice cereal for babies

(Gray News) - Beech-Nut Nutrition has issued a voluntary recall of one lot of rice cereal for babies due to high arsenic levels, according to the Food and Drug Administration.

Safety officials with the state of Alaska discovered the cereal tested above the FDA’s maximum arsenic levels during a routine sample.

“The safety of infants and children is Beech-Nut’s top priority. We are issuing this voluntary recall, because we learned through routine sampling by the State of Alaska that a limited quantity of Beech-Nut Single Grain Rice Cereal products had levels of naturally-occurring inorganic arsenic above the FDA guidance level, even though the rice flour used to produce these products tested below the FDA guidance level for inorganic arsenic,” said Jason Jacobs, Vice President, Food Safety and Quality.

No illnesses related to the product have been reported.

The specific Beech-Nut Single Grain Rice item has an expiration date of May 1, 2022, with product codes 103470XXXX and 093470XXXX.

Consumers with this specific product should throw it away and visit www.beechnut.com/ricecereal for information about exchanges and refunds.

These products were distributed nationally through stores and online.

CNN reports Beech-Nut is worried it cannot obtain rice flour that falls below the FDA’s threshold, so it is exiting the rice cereal market entirely.

The FDA first implemented rules on arsenic in baby food in August of 2020.

Consumer advocacy group Healthy Babies, Bright Futures says this is the first recall of infant rice cereal it is aware of due to high arsenic levels.

Copyright 2021 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. CNN Newsource contributed to this report.