A recent study from the University of Michigan points to the presence of arsenic and cadmium at unacceptable levels in rice imported into Haiti. AyiboPost spoke with Jackie Goodrich, one of the authors of this scientific work
Rice consumed in Haiti, from the United States and other countries, contains twice as much arsenic and cadmium, two substances hazardous to health, compared to local rice, according to the findings ofscientific research from the University of Michigan, published February 2024.
This rice generally passes USA quality tests. But these tests are based on occasional American consumption, far from the predominance of this product in the diet of a country like Haiti, where rice remains the basis of the diet.
In an interview with AyiboPost, Jackie Goodrichassociate research professor of environmental health sciences and co-author of the study, calls on American authorities to reevaluate standards and eliminate the significant subsidies granted to the rice industry.
Dr Goodrich also asks the Haitian authorities to promote local rice, while making practical recommendations to reduce the concentration of arsenic and cadmium in imported rice.
In a press release made public on February 24, 2024, the entity representing the industry, USA Rice, assures that its members respect “strict quality control protocols”.
Without concrete proof, USA Rice attacks the scientific basis of the University of Michigan study in a context where Haiti imports every year for more than 200 million dollars worth of rice the United States.
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
AyiboPost: What are the main conclusions of your study on rice imported into Haiti?
Jackie Goodrich : I conducted this study with a graduate student, Victoria Koski-Karell. She was in Haiti in the Bas-Artibonite region studying cholera and other problems with local agronomists. During his time there, many farmers mentioned the problems of having imported rice competing with their own rice. They also felt that imported rice was not healthy.
We knew from other studies conducted in the United States that sometimes rice grown here contains arsenic, a toxic metal, naturally present in the plantation environment. We thought a good place to start would be to study arsenic and another dangerous toxic metal, cadmium.
We also wanted to look at rice grown locally in this region and compare it to different samples of rice imported from multiple locations.
We knew from other studies conducted in the United States that sometimes rice grown here contains arsenic, a toxic metal, naturally present in the plantation environment.
When we made these comparisons, we were surprised to see a big difference. All samples from local farmers in this region had very low levels of arsenic. They were almost healthy. Cadmium was detected in almost none of these samples, and arsenic levels were very low.
But the levels in samples imported from the United States, as well as those we collected from other countries, had twice as much arsenic. Some of them even had levels that we would consider too high for health.
This discovery was important. But we also wanted to put it in context. Arsenic and Cadmium levels [aux États-Unis] set for safety might assume that you consume maybe a cup of rice a day or something like that.
But we knew, thanks to our partners in Haiti, that many Haitians sometimes eat three cups of rice a day, and sometimes even four. This means you absorb more arsenic every day if you eat a lot of imported rice.
So we made some estimates to understand how much arsenic people might absorb into their bodies if they ate three cups of imported rice a day, compared to locally grown rice: we estimate that some people might have levels in their bodies which could lead to long-term health effects if they continue to eat so much imported rice every day.
All samples from local farmers in this region had very low levels of arsenic. They were almost healthy.
How did you set up the study? ?
We worked in the Bas Artibonite region, because we had partnerships with some local farmers.
For our sampling procedure, we decided not to take everything from one market. We wanted to get a distribution of different products.
Our team collected rice from four different open-air markets and five rice mills in the Bas-Artibonite Valley. This is where we got the locally grown rice.
Then we collected 48 samples from different farms, to get a distribution and see if things were the same or different. We also collected samples of imported rice from the same open-air markets where we collected local rice.
In addition to this, we also went to two supermarkets in Saint-Marc to collect imported rice. We obtained samples of 14 different brands from eight different countries.
Do we know if this rice, which has a high level of arsenic, is sold in the United States ?
We sell and buy the same rice in the United States, but most people in the United States don’t eat that much rice.
If you only eat rice once a day or once in a while, the level is not as concerning. This is more worrying if you eat a lot of rice every day.
Let’s talk about the institution you collaborated with for this research.
I must say that our partner and his organization prefer to remain anonymous. They did not want to put the real name of their organization in our document because they feared for their safety and privacy.
What are the consequences of regularly consuming rice containing so much arsenic? ?
All the health effects we are concerned about occur if you consume a few cups of rice per day, for many years.
People whose rice is a very regular part of their diet—more than one or two cups a day—concern me the most.
There are some skin lesions that are not cancerous and can occur with chronic exposure to arsenic. There is a higher risk of developing diabetes and certain cardiovascular diseases.
Read also: Oil, sugar, salt…, these dietary excesses that kill in Haiti
You can suffer a stroke if you are exposed to a lot of arsenic over a long period of time.
Very high levels of arsenic may also be linked to certain cancers.
But I think it would take greater exposure, beyond what you get from just eating rice, to reach the levels where you would expect cancer.
You can suffer a stroke if you are exposed to a lot of arsenic over a long period of time.
In children, we find that chronic exposure to arsenic may be linked to poorer growth, shorter height, neurological and cognitive problems. We’re not entirely sure of the exact levels of arsenic that cause this.
This seems to vary by location, but we think it’s best to reduce arsenic exposure in children, even if it’s just by replacing one meal a day of rice with something else.
Do we know where this arsenic comes from? ?
In the United States, much of our rice is grown in the south-central part of the country. And in this region, there is naturally arsenic in the soil. There used to be arsenic in many pesticides, so some was released into the environment.
And once it’s there, rice plants are particularly good at absorbing it.
How does rice that is not safe for human consumption end up on people’s plates in Haiti ?
In the United States, we do not test all foods that are grown and shipped. We have suggested limits that rice should not exceed, but this is more of a suggestion and is not a binding law. We do not measure in every sample that is cultured.
The Arsenic and Cadmium levels in most of the samples we measured are technically below the limits recommended by regulatory guidelines.
Very high levels of arsenic may also be linked to certain cancers.
We believe that this limit does not sufficiently protect people who consume a lot of rice. It’s good for us to have this rice here in the US if we only eat it a few times a week. But it’s not good if people in Haiti are going to eat it several times a day.
Can we link certain health problems that we encounter in Haiti today to the consumption of this rice? ?
We’ve measured arsenic in the rice that people eat, but we haven’t yet measured it directly in people’s bodies. We have not measured the effects of these metals on the health of these same people.
What feedback have you received since the study was published? ?
I just read USA Rice’s statement today. They say there is no evidence that arsenic in rice can cause these health effects and that the rice is fine.
My reaction to this is that, yes, technically the levels we found in most samples were below our recommended limit in the United States.
But I think the recommended limit is too high based on a lot of health research done in many places around the world for people who eat a lot of rice.
The response that the United States Rice Federation gave sounds like what a lot of industries do when you say there’s a problem with their product.
Where exactly does this problem come from? ?
If policies could support the local food system rather than the imported food system, and if the local food system could produce enough to feed the nation, then many beneficial things would happen.
Of course, there would be plenty of health benefits. We would reduce arsenic. But the diet would be more diverse, supporting local producers, instead of the rice farms of other nations like the United States.
This has happened in recent decades due to US rice subsidies, making the Cheap rice in Haiti. It is easy for us to sell it and make a profit because it is cheap to grow. The pressure on Haiti to lower its tariffs in the 1990s did not benefit the country.
Do you know how countries like Mexico and Japan, politically and perhaps administratively stronger than Haiti, accepted the same rice from the United States ?
I think this is a problem that is not well recognized anywhere. I haven’t heard of any regulations in Japan or Mexico that reject US rice and say it’s not healthy, don’t use it.
However, in these countries there are many more options. You can still get rice from any other place, not just the US. Unlike Haiti, where the vast majority of exports come from the USA.
From a policy perspective, what should happen in the United States to solve this problem? But also, what do you think Haitians should do regarding rice coming from the United States? ?
On the American side, we have legislation that heavily subsidizes our agricultural industry, particularly products like rice and corn.
And that makes these products cheap, making it much easier to export them in large quantities, allowing producers to make a profit by sending them to other places like Haiti.
Many of us in this field believe that we should not have such high subsidies for this agricultural industry.
For Haitian citizens, there is a certain way of cooking imported rice that will remove about half of the arsenic it contains. The best method I have seen is parboiling.
You boil a lot of water, about four cups for every cup of rice. Then you put the rice in boiling water, boil it for five minutes. This breaks up some of the arsenic in the rice and releases it into the water.
Then you throw this water away so as not to consume it. Then, you add clean water and finish cooking your rice as you normally want. This method can reduce arsenic by half.
Another thing they can do is, whenever possible, buy local rice.
Read also: Nutrition: what does a dietitian do?
Additionally, if your area grows a grain other than rice, try substituting some of your meals with that whenever you can, just so you don’t rely as much on rice in the diet.
What does responsibility look like for the industry when the rice it produces potentially harms people in Haiti?
I think the accountability would be to set stricter guidelines.
For example, currently the guideline we have said you can have a certain amount of arsenic in rice and it’s acceptable. And most of the samples we measured were just below this guideline. So that means the industry can say, oh look, there’s no problem.
But I think this guideline really needs to be re-evaluated, because we’ve seen effects of arsenic at potentially lower levels in different populations around the world.
I think the responsibility is to re-evaluate our guideline and do more testing of rice samples in the United States.
What about the Haitian authorities ?
The best thing Haitian authorities could do is promote the local agricultural industry.
Read also: The benefits of corn to combat the food crisis in Haiti
We have shown that rice produced in Haiti contains very little arsenic and cadmium, so it contains few toxic chemicals.
But beyond that, supporting local workers gives people more autonomy to have the food they need.
Cover image published by AyiboPost featuring researcher Jackie Goodrich, with in the background bags of American rice usually imported to Haiti. | © Wilson Saintelus
Watch this video where AyiboPost explained, in 2019, the negative impacts of rice imported into Haiti on national production and the country’s economy:
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