Is it true that there’s arsenic in baby cereals?
The short answer: yes. But do not panic! There are very small amounts of arsenic in many food products on our grocery shelves, including baby’s cereals.
Just recently, in 2022, Health Canada published a notice of modification to arsenic levels in cereals intended for infants, strictly limiting inorganic arsenic levels in rice-based foods intended for young children. This regulation applies, among other things, to rice cereals for infants. This measure has been put forward to minimize dietary exposure to these contaminants, which can be toxic with sustained and repeated exposure.
Infant’s cereals currently on the market contain more oats and mixed grains (and therefore less rice). And for those that are mainly rice-based, they are made from white rice with very low levels of arsenic.
So the next time you buy cereal for your baby, you can rest assured that all the cereals on the market are safe!
Marie Fortier
The baby expert
Updated article : March, 2025.
References :
- Santé Canada. (2022, août). Avis de modification de Santé Canada visant à ajouter une concentration maximale d’arsenic inorganique dans les aliments à base de riz destinés spécifiquement aux nourrissons et aux jeunes enfants. Avis de modification – Liste des contaminants et des autres substances adultérantes dans les aliments. Repéré le 13 mars 2025 à https://www.canada.ca/fr/sante-canada/services/aliments-nutrition/participation-public-partenariats/avis-modification-visant-ajouter-concentration-maximale-arsenic-inorganique-aliments-base-riz-destines-nourrissons-jeunes-enfants/document.html
- INSPQ. (2019, avril). De l’arsenic toujours présent dans certains aliments vendus au Canada. Repéré le 13 mars 2025 à https://www.inspq.qc.ca/bise/de-l-arsenic-toujours-present-dans-certains-aliments-vendus-au-canada
