Rice Intake Among Infants and Toddlers from the Feeding Infants and Toddlers Study 2016

Abstract

Background

The Food and Drug Administration’s Closer to Zero Action Plan aims to reduce toxic element exposure from foods infants and toddlers eat. Rice has been identified as a source of inorganic arsenic in the diets of infants and toddlers.

Objective

Evaluate consumption of rice and rice-containing foods from the Feeding Infants and Toddlers Study (FITS) 2016.

Design

FITS was a national cross-sectional survey conducted in 2016. Dietary intakes were collected by trained nutritionists using multiple-pass 24-hour recalls by telephone with parents and caregivers of infants and toddlers.

Participants

Participants from FITS 2016 (n = 2635) are from a national sample weighted to be representative of US infants and toddlers 0–24 months of age.

Main outcome measures

Rice grain consumption among infants and toddlers and distribution of rice grain consumed was determined using 1-day intakes. Per capita mean grams rice/day from infant cereal was determined for infants aged 0–12 months.

Statistical analyses

Sources of rice were identified from 24-hour dietary recalls. A percentage of rice grain was assigned to each food source, and descriptive statistics were used to estimate intakes and distributions.

Results

Percentage consuming rice or rice-containing foods was highest for infants aged 6–11.9 months (58.2%), including snacks (32.1%), infant cereal (27.9%), baby food purees (11.1%), and cooked rice (7.7%). Among infants 6–11.9 months of age who consumed rice, mean intake of rice from all sources was 11.9 ± 0.8 g/d (mean ± standard error [SE]), and although most frequently reported, snacks provided the least quantity of rice (2.0 ± 0.2 g/d). For infants 0–11.9 months of age, mean per capita rice intake from infant cereal was 3.3 ± g/day.

Conclusions

Older infants consume rice from a variety of foods. Rice-containing snacks contribute minimal quantities of rice to the daily diet. To reduce exposure to inorganic arsenic, infants should be offered a variety of grains as part of a well-balanced diet.