Iron-Fortified Rice Cereal: Is it still a first food for babies? Do I need to use rice cereal?

Author: Anna Ritan, APD, BND, Paediatric Dietitian

In recent years, recommendations for starting solids have changed a lot. Many parents now ask:

• Does my baby need rice cereal?

• Do I need to worry about arsenic?

• What foods can I offer instead?

Let’s walk through the answers together.

The Importance of Iron

Iron is one of the most important nutrients for babies. It supports growth, brain development, the nervous system, immunity, and circulation.

A healthy, full-term baby is born with iron stores that last about six months. During the first few months of life, as your baby grows, these iron stores release iron into the blood, making a healthy-term infant self-sufficient for iron until around 6 months of age. Breastmilk also contains small but very absorbable amounts of iron, and infant formulas are fortified. By around six months, though, those stores run low, and babies need iron-rich foods to meet their very high needs. In fact, babies require more iron for their size than at any other stage of life!

That’s why the Australian infant feeding guidelines recommend iron-rich foods as first foods when starting solids, alongside continued breastfeeding or formula feeding.

Iron Foods and Absorption

Iron comes in two forms:

·       Haem iron (animal sources): red meat, liver, pork, poultry, eggs, fish. Haem iron is very well absorbed, over 25% (this is the percentage of iron consumed that reaches the circulatory system). Other nutrients in meat, such as zinc and proteins, help this absorption.

·       Non-haem iron (plant sources): beans, lentils, wholegrain cereals, dark leafy greens. Non-haem iron isn’t absorbed as efficiently, and its uptake depends on other foods in the diet. Pairing it with vitamin C-rich foods (like fruit or veggies) boosts absorption. Non-haem iron is still an important source of iron and similar to haem iron, whole food sources of non-haem iron also come packed with other nutrients like vitamins, minerals, and proteins to help meet your baby's overall nutrition requirements.

Both are important, but haem iron is absorbed more easily. Wholefood sources of both types also provide extra nutrients like protein, zinc, folate, and B12 that support growth.

Iron-fortified rice cereal is an example of processed Non-Haem Iron, which is not as readily absorbed by the body. The bioavailability of iron consumed from rice cereal is usually assumed to be around 10%.

Rice Cereal: What is it made of?

Infant rice cereal is an ultra-processed food. It’s made mostly of refined rice flour (over 95%), with most of the nutrition stripped away during processing. That means it’s low in fibre, protein, and most vitamins and minerals. To make it useful and palatable for babies, manufacturers add synthetic iron and vitamin C, sometimes along with vegetable oils, preservatives, or maltodextrin.

Rice cereal is bland in flavour and texture, so it doesn’t really help babies learn about the foods your family eats.

Nutritionally, it mainly offers refined carbohydrate, added iron, and vitamin C. It’s missing the other beneficial nutrients that come naturally with wholefood sources of iron.

Bellamy's Organic Baby Rice Cereal with Probiotic:

Ingredients: Organic rice flour (95%)

Organic GOS* (milk) (3.3%)

Organic vegetable oil

Mineral (iron)(3mg iron per 100 g prepared)

Antioxidant (mixed tocopherols concentrate).

Cerelac Baby Rice Cereal

Ingredients: Rice flour (99%) [processing aid (soy)]

mineral (iron) (3.5mg/serve)

maltodextrin

vitamin C

Culture (Bifidobacterium lactis)

Bubs Organic Baby Rice Cereal

Ingredients:

Organic Rice 99%

Vitamin C

Iron

Antioxidant (Mixed Tocopherols)

Rice Cereal, what nutrition does it provide?

Rice cereal is unique to a baby's diet, and it is unlike other food that a family will eat, it is not a wholefood or family food. It is bland in flavour, colour, and texture, so in that respect teaches very little about the foods in a family's diet or culture.

As rice cereal is an ultra-processed food, it is limited in the nutrition it can provide. Rice cereal does not contain any other beneficial nutrients for the growth and development of infants such as protein or other key nutrients that usually come packaged with whole food sources of iron (haem and non-haem) such as zinc, B12, protein, fat, magnesium, folate, essential amino acids, and choline.

Other Considerations of Rice Cereals

Constipation:

The added iron, combined with rice cereal’s low fibre content, can sometimes cause harder stools. Not all babies are affected, but if constipation becomes an issue, reducing rice cereal and offering more wholefoods may help.

Allergens:

Some brands contain soy or other added ingredients. Always check labels.

History:

Rice cereal became popular after WWII, when highly processed foods became common. At that time, babies were sometimes started on solids as early as six weeks old. Today, recommendations are very different – waiting until around six months, starting with a variety of textures and nutrient-rich foods, and not delaying allergenic foods.

Arsenic and Rice Cereal

Rice absorbs more arsenic from the environment than most other grains. Inorganic arsenic, the harmful type, is very toxic to infants, and has been linked to developmental concerns and long-term health risks.

Arsenic contamination can be measured in our food, and different countries set different limits for arsenic in infant foods. The European Union has some of the strictest rules (maximum 0.1 mg/kg in infant rice products), along with the FDA (US Federal Drug Administration) action level for inorganic arsenic in rice cereals for infants is 0.1 mg/kg. Australia and New Zealand currently only set limits for total arsenic, which are much higher and apply to all ages.

Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) do NOT have an action level or permitted maximum level for inorganic arsenic for infants or children for cereals (including rice cereal), infant foods, or products.

Studies in Australia have found that some infant rice products exceed EU limits for inorganic arsenic.

• A study in 2016 showed infants who ate rice or rice products had higher concentrations of arsenic in their urine than those who did not. Infants and children, typically have up to three times the exposure to arsenic from rice, compared with adults due to the amount of intake per body weight.

• A study in 2017 from Australia and New Zealand looked at a total of 200 rice and rice products purchased from retail outlets which were then analysed for Inorganic Arsenic. A total of 159 samples (80%) gave positive results for Inorganic Arsenic, with a mean concentration of 0.06 mg/kg and a range of <0.01-0.14 mg/kg. Two infant products had the highest concentrations of Inorganic Arsenic, both exceeded the EU (European) maximum level for Inorganic Arsenic in rice for infants and young children at 0.1 mg/kg.

• An Australian study in 2020 sampled 39 infant rice products with 75% of samples having Inorganic Arsenic exceeding the EU maximum levels for infants and children (0.1 mg/kg), more prevalent in rice crackers and rice pasta.

Food Standards Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) currently advise on their website that "parents and caregivers should not be concerned about the safety of rice-based infant food products available for sale in Australia". FSANZ state that monitoring of arsenic in cereal-based infant products (i.e. rice cereals) has shown low levels of arsenic, below the maximum permitted levels for total arsenic (1mg/kg) in Australia, which apply to adults, elderly, infants, and children alike. However, the permitted levels of total arsenic in Australia are significantly higher than in the EU and there is no maximum permitted level for inorganic arsenic in rice cereal/cereals in Australia for infants. This is concerning.

While Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) considers current products “safe”, international experts recommend offering a variety of grains (like oats, barley, wheat, maize, amaranth) rather than relying on rice cereal alone.

Take-Home Tips for Parents

• Babies need iron-rich foods from six months of age and iron foods are recommended as a first food for babies starting solids.

• Offer a variety of iron foods:

o Haem sources: beef, lamb, liver, poultry, eggs, fish.

o Non-haem sources: lentils, beans, tofu, chia seeds. Pair with vitamin C foods like fruit and vegetables to boost absorption.

• Rice cereal is not harmful in moderation, but it isn’t essential. Babies absorb more iron from even a small amount of meat than from the same amount of rice cereal.

• If you do use rice cereal, avoid daily use, mix it with other foods, and vary grains where possible.

• For vegetarian or vegan families, or when wholefood sources are limited, fortified cereals can still be a practical tool in moderation.

  
  

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