No arsenic in domestically grown products – but priced in the top segment
Vienna (OTS) – The Association for Consumer Information tested rice in cooperation with the Styrian Chamber of Labor. A total of 23 products, 9 of which come from organic rice cultivation. For the first time, 6 products from Austrian agriculture were also examined. The focus was on pollutants, including mineral oil residues, heavy metals, pesticides, fumigants and mold toxins. The result is gratifying: A total of 14 were awarded “very good”, 4 “good” and 3 “average”. Products from Austria came in 2nd and 3rd place. 2 products, however, were not recommended: The “Top Long Grain Rice” from Oryza received a “less satisfactory” rating due to the residues of a fumigant. The “Long Grain Side Dish Rice” from So-Fröhlich (from Austria) was rated “unsatisfactory” due to high pesticide residues. All test results will be available from June 27, 2024 in the KONSUMENT magazine and from now on www.konsument.at/reis24.
Big price differences
The focus of the test was on long-grain rice. This is now rarely imported from overseas, but comes primarily from European cultivation. Most of the products in the test came from Italy (8), followed by Austria (6) and Thailand (2). The products from Austria are by far the most expensive in the test. The main reason for this is that in dry cultivation, both cultivation and processing involve a lot of manual work (including weed removal). The yields per hectare are also significantly lower than in intensive wet rice cultivation. The dry rice products tested therefore have an average price of around 14.90 euros per kilo, while the wet rice products tested cost just a fraction of that at just over 2.80 euros per kilo.
No arsenic in Austrian products
Heavy metals such as arsenic and cadmium are repeatedly found in rice. These can enter the plants via the soil or via the water used for irrigation. The VKI found arsenic in all samples from wet rice cultivation, although usually in very small quantities. No arsenic was detectable in the 6 Austrian dry rice products. Cadmium was also found in several samples, usually also in small quantities. Here too, the Austrian products performed well.
“The amounts of heavy metals found in the rice samples tested do not generally pose an acute health risk,” stresses VKI nutritionist Nina Eichberger. “However, we generally recommend washing rice thoroughly before processing. The test has shown that Austrian dried rice generally contains fewer pollutants and, above all, no arsenic. Organic products also achieved good results in this area.”
SERVICE: The detailed test results will be available from June 27, 2024 in the July issue of the KONSUMENT magazine and now at www.konsument.at/reis24.
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