Babies eat less rice supplements.

Researchers at Florida International University recently warned that rice babies are significantly higher in mercury than other cereals.
researchers purchased 119 common rice and non-rice mixed grain baby supplements from online and offline retailers in Miami, New York, San Jose, Chicago, and eight cities in Beijing, Wuhan, Nanjing and Qingdao, China. The survey showed that rice infant supplements contained three times as much methylmercury as mixed cereals and 19 times as much as other cereal-free infant supplements. Mercury levels do not vary significantly between procurement locations and brands. The researchers analyzed that rice processing plants are more likely to absorb methylmercury in the environment than other cereal processing plants. The findings were published in the American Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
of mercury intake can cause health damage, including impaired vision, indocisiveness, muscle weakness, language and hearing impairment. Although rice infant supplements contain higher levels of mercury than other complementary foods, they do not exceed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's mercury standards, and parents need not worry too much, the researchers said.
a 2014 study also showed that, in addition to mercury, infant rice supplements also had higher arsenic levels. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommends that infants avoid rice products as a staple food and eat as much oats and barley fortified iron as possible. Consumer Reports, a U.S. consumer rights group, also recommends that babies eat no more than a third of a cup of rice a day if they want to eat.
Times reporter Zhao Qianxuan.