New warning to parents: Do not feed babies too much rice cereal

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The US government is telling parents to not rely too heavily on rice cereal as a food staple for babies because it is a leading cause of arsenic exposure for infants. The Food and Drug Administration said in a news release that it is working to reduce the levels of inorganic arsenic in rice cereal for babies because of the concerns. FDA officials are requiring rice cereal to contain no more than 100 parts per billion of inorganic arsenic. But, the agency also encouraged parents to not feed their kids too much cereal. Exposure to inorganic arsenic can lead to developmental issues for children, such as decreased performance on developmental tests. The FDA says the risk also applies to pregnant women.

SILVER SPRING, MARYLAND - The US government is telling parents to not rely too heavily on rice cereal as a food staple for babies because it is a leading cause of arsenic exposure for infants.

The Food and Drug Administration said in a news release that it is working to reduce the levels of inorganic arsenic in rice cereal for babies because of the concerns.

FDA officials are requiring rice cereal to contain no more than 100 parts per billion of inorganic arsenic. But, the agency also encouraged parents to not feed their kids too much cereal.

Exposure to inorganic arsenic can lead to developmental issues for children, such as decreased performance on developmental tests. The FDA says the risk also applies to pregnant women.

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