Rinsing rice before cooking does little to reduce rice arsenic, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said in guidance issued this week. Cooking rice in excess water and draining the extra water after cooking can cut inorganic arsenic levels by 40 to 60 percent, depending on the type of rice, the agency said.
The FDA advises consumers to make informed food choices to limit exposure to arsenic, which the agency describes as an environmental contaminant that can be present in food. The new guidance walks through which preparation steps actually lower arsenic levels and which ones do not. The rice arsenic findings were reported Oct. 23 by The Business Standard, in the same week the FDA issued the guidance.
How excess water reduces rice arsenic
Cooking rice in excess water, using a ratio of six to 10 parts water to one part rice, and draining the excess water after cooking can reduce inorganic arsenic levels by 40 percent to 60 percent, depending on the type of rice, the FDA says. The method works because the arsenic leaches into the cooking water, which is then poured off instead of being absorbed back into the grains.
Rinsing rice before cooking, meanwhile, has little effect on its arsenic content, according to the FDA. Many cooks rinse rice out of habit, but the agency’s guidance says that step alone will not meaningfully change rice arsenic levels. The comparison gives shoppers a clear choice between a familiar routine and the one the FDA now recommends for cutting arsenic from rice.
Rice arsenic method also cuts nutrients
The cooking method that reduces arsenic levels comes with a trade-off. The FDA says cooking rice in excess water and draining it can also reduce the levels of certain added nutrients in rice by 50 percent to 70 percent. Enriched rice is fortified with nutrients that are added during processing, and those additions are among the first things the extra water washes away.
The agency’s guidance highlights the need to weigh the potential reduction in arsenic exposure against the loss of nutrients when choosing how to prepare rice. The rice arsenic reduction is not free, and the FDA presents both sides of the balance so consumers can decide what matters most for their own households.
Rice arsenic and the case for varied grains
Consumers can also limit exposure by eating a varied diet rather than relying on a single grain, the FDA states. The advice applies beyond rice: rotating among grains keeps any one source from dominating the diet, which spreads out exposure to contaminants like arsenic and spreads out the nutrients that different grains provide.
The rice arsenic guidance is the FDA’s latest effort to give consumers practical steps for limiting dietary exposure to environmental contaminants. The agency describes arsenic as an environmental contaminant that can be present in food, and its advice to vary grains is one more way to limit total exposure beyond what cooking methods achieve on their own. Informed choices at the stove, paired with variety on the plate, offer the best combination the FDA describes.
Beyond the cooking method, the FDA’s broader advice is to make informed food choices. That means reading guidance like this one, understanding that arsenic is an environmental contaminant that can be present in food, and adjusting habits where the evidence supports it. The agency does not tell consumers to stop eating rice. It tells them how to prepare it and how to balance it with other grains, so the trade-offs stay visible.
For households that eat rice daily, the FDA’s numbers give a concrete benchmark. Washing does little for arsenic levels. Cooking in six to 10 parts water and draining it can cut inorganic arsenic by 40 to 60 percent, depending on the type of rice. And varying grains, rather than relying on rice alone, adds another layer of protection. The rice arsenic guidance leaves the final call to the consumer, with the trade-offs spelled out.