Dr. Umar Aitsaam

This heavy metals in imported rice study shows soaking/rinsing reduces lead and cadmium, but arsenic remains elevated and dominates non-cancer and cancer-risk estimates. Certification programs should prioritize arsenic (ideally inorganic speciation) and use lot-based screening with clear action limits.

This paper addresses arsenic-in-rice-and-drinking-water by comparing arsenic accumulation across 44 rice cultivars and linking it to co-exposure risk. The provided PDF lacks readable study results, but the cultivar-variability and co-exposure framing remain directly relevant to HMTC program design.

EU Regulation 2023/915 heavy metal limits set enforceable maximum levels for lead, cadmium, mercury, and inorganic arsenic across food categories, with especially strict thresholds for infant products. It also governs processing-factor application and bans chemical detoxification, shaping HMTC testing, documentation, and supplier controls.

This study measured heavy metal accumulation in rice from three Bangladeshi industrial areas, linking soil contamination to grain concentrations and transfer factors. Zn, Cd, Cr, and Co in rice exceeded stated WHO/FAO tolerances, while Zn and Cu showed the highest soil-to-grain transfer.

The cadmium-food-maximum-levels EU catalogue entry links key exposure foods, vulnerable subgroups, and toxicity endpoints to phased tightening of maximum levels, including targeted protections for infants and child-consumed chocolate. It highlights mitigation expectations and the need for ongoing monitoring to sustain high health protection.

This FDA guidance explains how to limit exposure to arsenic through well-water testing, diet variety, age-appropriate juice practices, and rice strategies, highlighting that “pasta-style” rice cooking can reduce inorganic arsenic while also reducing enrichment nutrients—key considerations for HMTC certification criteria and labeling.

This FDA update finalizes guidance establishing a 100 ppb inorganic arsenic action level for infant rice cereals, outlines sampling/enforcement intent, and reports marked improvement in product testing results over time practical inputs for HMTC thresholds, testing design, and supplier control expectations.

This relevant EU regulation sets binding maximum levels for inorganic arsenic in rice categories, including a stricter limit for rice used in infant foods, defines inorganic arsenic as As(III)+As(V), and establishes applicability and sell-through rules for compliance planning.

This review maps cadmium pollution in rice and wheat across China, showing hotspot provinces with frequent exceedances and HQ>1 risk signals, and explains soil- and transporter-mediated pathways that can be translated into HMTC sourcing controls, testing triggers, and mitigation verification.

This viewpoint argues for dietary arsenic standards grounded in inorganic arsenic speciation, prioritizing rice, juices, and poultry. It highlights surveillance gaps, outdated residue standards, the role of arsenic-based poultry drugs, and pragmatic steps—monitoring, enforcement, and industry interventions—to reduce exposure.