“The FDA tested 1,300 samples of rice and rice products after Consumer Reports found arsenic in more than 60 popular foods like Rice Krispies cereal.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Friday that after testing 1,300 samples of rice and rice products, it has determined that the amount of detectable arsenic is too low to cause immediate or short-term negative health effects.

The agency said its next step will be to use new tools that provide greater specificity about different types of arsenic present in foods, to analyze the effect of long-term exposure to low levels of arsenic in rice.

The agency’s review comes after Consumer Reports in 2012 urged the government to limit arsenic in rice after tests of more than 60 popular products — from Kellogg’s Rice Krispies to Gerber infant cereal — showed most contained some level of inorganic arsenic, a known human carcinogen.

The consumer watchdog group said some varieties of brown rice — including brands sold by Whole Foods Markets Inc and Wal-Mart Stores Inc — contained particularly significant levels of inorganic arsenic.

The FDA said on Friday that the samples it tested came from various types of rice grains, including white, jasmine and basmati. They also included samples from rice products including infant cereals, pasta, grain-based bars, cookies, pastries and drinks such as beer, rice wine and rice water.”

One question: who is making these decisions? I don’t want an agency or a company. I need names. Who says we can have a little arsenic? And where do we draw the line? Oh it was .5% not .4. You’re dead. I’m not a scholar but I know arsenic is bad. Anything that I equate with poison I usually try and avoid ingesting. “The amount of detectable arsenic is too low to cause immediate or short-term negative health effects.” So I can eat all the Rice Krispy Treats I want, but in 10 years there is a slight chance that my lungs pop and I die. I like Rice Krispy Treats. A lot. But I don’t know if I’m willing to die over them. Let’s just take the rice off supermarket shelves and call it a day.

– Ryan