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I’ve been following and sharing Consumer Reports’ testing on arsenic in rice since 2012. Back then, their findings were a wake-up call: rice—one of the most-eaten staple foods on the planet—carries measurable levels of inorganic arsenic, the more toxic form of a known carcinogen. They followed up in 2014. And on July 8, 2026, they published their newest round of testing.
The headline? Nothing has meaningfully changed.
For more than 14 years, our regulators, the rice industry, and manufacturers have known about this. And in their latest tests, Consumer Reports (CR) once again found detectable inorganic arsenic in every single rice product they tested. Fourteen years of awareness, and the problem persists… ugh
The good news is that this isn’t a “never eat rice again” post. It’s a “here’s how to eat it smarter” post…. So let’s get to it
1. What the research found
CR tested 52 rice products (two to three samples of each) along with a set of other grains—142 samples in total—screening for arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury.
The bad news: They found measurable inorganic arsenic in all of the rice products.
According to CR’s director of food safety, James E. Rogers, PhD, in 42% of the products the average levels were high enough that an adult eating just one serving a day, over time, would face a meaningfully higher risk of skin cancer, bladder cancer, and type 2 diabetes.
Across all 142 samples they also detected arsenic, cadmium, and mercury in every one, plus lead in 66 of them.
For context: there’s no federal limit for arsenic in regular rice. The FDA has set an “action level” of 100 parts per billion (ppb) for inorganic arsenic—but only for infant rice cereal. Seventeen of the products CR tested averaged 100 ppb or more. Because there is no established safe level of inorganic arsenic, CR is calling on the FDA to set limits for all rice products.
The good news: Levels vary a lot depending on the type of rice, where it’s grown, and how you cook it. That means we ca choose better. CR also tested three cooking methods and found one that removes up to 58% of the inorganic arsenic. And other grains—like farro, quinoa, and sorghum—came back looking genuinely reassuring… so that these are always good alternatives
More on all of that below.
2. Why inorganic arsenic is worth taking seriously
First, a clarification: “inorganic” here is a chemistry term. It has nothing to do with the “organic” label on your groceries — it’s simply the more harmful form of the element.
Why rice? Arsenic is in soil and water partly by nature, partly from decades-old pesticides that were banned in the 1980s but never left. Rice picks up more of it than almost any crop — roughly 10x more than other crops in similar soil — because it’s grown in flooded fields and because it hoards silicon, which arsenic closely resembles and sneaks in alongside. It concentrates in the bran layer, which is why brown runs higher than white.
Why it matters. Inorganic arsenic is a known carcinogen, linked to bladder, lung, and skin cancers, type 2 diabetes, heart, kidney, and respiratory disease — plus stillbirth, neurodevelopmental effects, and lower IQ in children. And it shows up in us: in CR’s 2012 work, one serving of rice a day raised urinary arsenic about 44%; two servings, 70%. Rice is the single biggest source of inorganic arsenic in the American diet, at roughly 17%.
Two things I’d underline. This is likely getting worse, not better — a 2025 Lancet Planetary Health study found rice grown in hotter, higher-CO₂ conditions absorbs significantly more arsenic, with tens of millions of additional cancer cases projected by 2050. And the risks land hardest during pregnancy, infancy, and early childhood, because little bodies are more vulnerable and lower body weight means a bigger dose per serving. For kids under 2, rice itself — not rice cereal — is now the main dietary source.
3. So how much rice can we actually eat?
This is the question everyone asks. CR’s serving size here is ¼ cup of dry rice (about ¾ cup cooked).
For the lower-arsenic options (see below) —white basmati grown in California, India, or Pakistan, or sushi rice:
Adults: up to 5 servings per week ( aprox 3 cups and 3/4 cup)
Children: up to 2¾ servings per week ( aprox 2 cups cooked a week)
Even the rice with the lowest arsenic in CR’s tests still carries enough that eating more than six servings a week could raise an adult’s cancer risk. There’s no fully “clean” option—only better and worse ones.
A few special cases:
Pregnancy: minimize rice, given how sensitive fetal development is to arsenic exposure.
Babies and young children: stick to the lowest-arsenic options (white basmati from CA/India/Pakistan, or white sushi rice) and keep portions small
These aren’t meant to scare you away from a food billions of people rely on. They’re guardrails—a way to keep a beloved staple in your rotation without letting exposure quietly accumulate over years.
4. The genuinely good news: better types, better sources, better cooking
Here’s where you get to take back some control.
Some types of rice are consistently lower. In CR’s latest testing, the averages by type were:
Basmati – 55 ppb (lowest)
Sushi rice – 57 ppb
Arborio – 64 ppb
Jasmine – 87 ppb
Long and short grain – 101 ppb
Parboiled – 101 ppb
White beats brown. Brown rice averaged 113 ppb; white averaged 72 ppb.
Every rice CR tested, ranked worst to best
Below are all 39 bagged rices CR tested, listed from most inorganic arsenic to least, straight from CR’s published results.
How to read the ranking: #1 is the best rice on the list (least arsenic). #39 is the worst. So we start at the bottom of the class and work our way up to the winner. A serving is ¼ cup dry (aprox 3/4 cooked) .
The worst rice here has nearly five times the inorganic arsenic of the best one. Same aisle, same price range - so choose wisely
🔴 THE WORST OF THE LIST — 100 ppb and up
#39 (worst) · Mahatma Jasmine Brown Thai Fragrant Whole Grain (brown) — 155 ppb — adults 2.25/wk, kids 0.5/wk
#38 · Goya Organics Long Grain Brown (brown) — 150 ppb — adults 2.5/wk, kids 0.5/wk
#37 · Good & Gather (Target) Long Grain Brown (brown) — 138 ppb
#36 · Iberia Long Grain Brown (brown) — 133 ppb — adults 2.75/wk, kids 0.75/wk
#35 · 365 Whole Foods Organic Long Grain Brown (brown) — 130 ppb — adults 2.75/wk, kids 0.75/wk
#34 · Nishiki Premium Medium Grain Brown (brown) — 128 ppb — adults 2.75/wk, kids 0.75/wk
#33 · Carolina Whole Grain Brown (brown) — 127 ppb
#32 · Great Value (Walmart) Natural Brown Long Grain (brown) — 118 ppb — adults 3/wk, kids 0.75/wk
#31 · Carolina Gold Extra Long Grain Parboiled (white) — 108 ppb — adults 3.25/wk, kids 0.75/wk
#30 · Ben’s Original Whole Grain Brown (brown) — 107 ppb — adults 3.25/wk, kids 0.75/wk
#29 · Wellsley Farms (BJ’s) Organic Long Grain Brown (brown) — 107 ppb — adults 3/wk, kids 0.75/wk
#28 · Iberia Enriched Extra Long Grain (white) — 101 ppb — adults 3.5/wk, kids 0.75/wk
#27 · Good & Gather (Target) Enriched Long Grain White (white) — 100 ppb — adults 3.5/wk, kids 0.75/wk
🟠 THE MIDDLE — 70 to 99 ppb
#26 · Iberia Parboiled Brown (brown) — 94 ppb
#25 · Canilla (Goya) Enriched Extra Long Grain (white) — 89 ppb — adults 3.75/wk, kids 1/wk
#24 · Carolina Jasmine Enriched Thai Fragrant Long Grain (white) — 89 ppb — adults 3.75/wk, kids 1/wk
#23 · Mahatma Extra Long Enriched (white) — 88 ppb — adults 4/wk, kids 1/wk
#22 · Great Value (Walmart) Long Grain Enriched (white) — 86 ppb — adults 4/wk, kids 1/wk
#21 · Earthly Grains (Aldi) Long Grain White (white) — 84 ppb — adults 4/wk, kids 1/wk
#20 · Lundberg Organic Short Grain Brown (brown) — 83 ppb — adults 4.25/wk, kids 1/wk
#19 · Carolina Enriched Extra Long Grain White (white) — 80 ppb — adults 4.25/wk, kids 1/wk
#18 · Della Basmati White (white) — 80 ppb
#17 · Della Arborio White (white) — 72 ppb — adults 4.75/wk, kids 1.25/wk
#16 · Dynasty Jasmine (white) — 72 ppb — adults 4.75/wk, kids 1.25/wk
#15 · 365 Whole Foods Organic Thai Jasmine White (white) — 71 ppb — adults 4.75/wk, kids 1.25/wk
#14 · Goya Thai Jasmine (white) — 71 ppb — adults 4.25/wk, kids 1/wk
🟢 THE BEST OF THE LIST — under 70 ppb
#13 · Kokuho Rose (sushi) (white) — 69 ppb — adults 5/wk, kids 1.25/wk
#12 · Great Value (Walmart) Thai Hom Mali Jasmine (white) — 68 ppb — adults 5/wk, kids 1.25/wk
#11 · ⚠️ Roland Brown Basmati (brown) — 66 ppb — adults 4.75/wk, kids 1.25/wk — low arsenic, but high lead levels found so I would avoid
#10 · Botan Calrose (sushi) (white) — 65 ppb — adults 5.25/wk, kids 1.25/wk
#9 · RiceSelect Organic Texmati White (white) — 60 ppb — adults 5.75/wk, kids 1.5/wk
#8 · 365 Whole Foods Enriched Medium Grain Calrose (sushi) (white) — 59 ppb — adults 5.75/wk, kids 1.5/wk
#7 · Carolina Organic White (white) — 57 ppb — adults 6/wk, kids 1.5/wk
#6 · Lundberg Organic White Arborio Gourmet (white) — 56 ppb — adults 6.25/wk, kids 1.5/wk
#5 · Nishiki Medium Grain (sushi) (white) — 54 ppb — adults 6.5/wk, kids 1.75/wk
#4 · Lotus Foods Organic Brown Basmati (brown) — 53 ppb — adults 6/wk, kids 1.5/wk — the best brown rice tested
#3 · Great Value (Walmart) Basmati (white) — 44 ppb — adults 7.75/wk, kids 2/wk
#2 · Lundberg Organic Sushi White (white) — 39 ppb — adults 9/wk, kids 2.25/wk
#1 (best) · Royal Basmati (white) — 32 ppb — adults 10.5/wk, kids 2.75/wk
Source: Consumer Reports test results, July 2026. Values rounded; a few products didn’t have published serving limits. CR also tested 7 microwavable pouches and 6 seasoned rice mixes, which I’ve left out here — the pouches are pre-cooked (so their numbers aren’t comparable to dry rice) and the mixes are a separate problem, covered below. CR notes these results are a spot check of the market, not a definitive verdict on any brand: growing conditions vary lot to lot.
What jumps out at me:
“Organic” is not a proxy for low arsenic. Goya Organics brown landed at 150 ppb — ranked #38 of 39. Arsenic comes from soil and water; the organic label says nothing about heavy metals. This is the single most common misconception I hear.
Brown rice isn’t doomed — most brown brands just aren’t trying. Lotus Foods’ organic brown basmati ranked #4 overall, beating all but three white rices, and Lundberg’s short grain brown (#20) beat a dozen of them.
Cheap doesn’t mean contaminated. Great Value Basmati ranked #3 of 39 at 44 ppb. You do not need to spend more to choose better.
Look at the kids’ numbers. For everything ranked #27 and worse, CR’s limit for children is under one serving per week. That’s not a typo. If your kid eats rice more often than that, this list is worth a real look.
So what should I actually buy? 🌾
If you take one thing from this post, take this list. These are the picks I’d make from CR’s data — low arsenic and clean on lead and cadmium.
🥇 The best of the bunch
#2 · Lundberg Organic Sushi White — 39 ppb. No lead detected. A California grower that publishes its own heavy metal testing.
#4 · Lotus Foods Organic Brown Basmati (brown) — 53 ppb — adults 6/wk, kids 1.5/wk — the best brown rice tested
I skipped #1 and #3, Royal Basmati and Great Value because it is not organic and I would prefer certified organic for rice
🥈 Also excellent
#6 · Lundberg Organic White Arborio — 56 ppb, no lead detected — your risotto answer
#7 · Carolina Organic White — 57 ppb, no lead detected
#8 · 365 Whole Foods Enriched Calrose (sushi) — 59 ppb, no lead detected
#9 · RiceSelect Organic Texmati White — 60 ppb, no lead detected
HOW YOU COOK RICE CAN LOWER ARSENIC!
How you cook it can cut arsenic dramatically. CR tested three methods. Quick rinsing or a 30-minute soak barely helped (5% or less). But the standout—the parboil-and-drain method—made a real difference:
Bring a pot of water to a boil.
Add your rice and boil for 5 minutes.
Drain that water off completely.
Add fresh water and finish cooking as usual.
That extra step reduced inorganic arsenic by 50% in brown rice and 58% in white rice. Five minutes and a colander—that’s the whole trick. (Cooking rice like pasta in lots of water and pouring off the excess works on the same principle.)
And when in doubt, rotate your grains. CR tested 10 other whole grains—amaranth, barley, buckwheat, bulgur, farro, millet, oats, polenta (cornmeal), quinoa, and sorghum. Even the highest one (oats) had less than a quarter of the inorganic arsenic of sushi rice, the lowest rice in the whole study. Many of these also bring more fiber and nutrients than white rice. Swapping them in a few times a week is one of the simplest, most effective moves you can make.
If this was helpful, I’d love to hear from you in the comments—do you buy a specific type or brand of rice for your family? And if you want the science on everyday exposures like this made simple, that’s exactly what we’re building over at ToxWise.