Since rice has a significant place in our gluten free diet, we are concerned about reports that rice may be contaminated with arsenic. What should we do? First of all, I will suggest several articles to provide information, then I will tell what I intend to do.

First of all, be aware that The Food and Drug Administration is looking into the matter but that it “… does not have an adequate scientific basis to recommend changes by consumers regarding their consumption of rice and rice products.”

This article “Gluten Free Options for those Concerned About Arsenic in Rice“. It’s beautifully researched. The author contacted dozens of companies and summarized their responses and their suggestions for minimizing problems with arsenic”.

This post from US News takes a different, approach stressing the idea of ‘not making perfect the enemy of the good’ and ‘don’t throw the baby out with the bath water”. This is particularly important for people who live gluten free. We already have major restrictions on our diet. Do we need to add more? If it is necessary, we can add new restrictions to our diet. We’ve done it in the past and we can do it again.

This current concern over arsenic in rice was generated by a report from “Consumer Reports”. Click here to read the whole thing.

What do I intend to do about this? Well, I just went to my pantry and was pleased to find out that my favorite pancake mix does not contain rice flour. I’ll choose non-rice alternatives when it is convenient, and await further word from the FDA.