Beech-Nut recalls rice baby cereal for having too much inorganic arsenic

Beech-Nut is recalling one of its baby cereal products for having too much inorganic arsenic, which can pose a health hazard to young children, the company announced.

Beech-Nut says no one has reported getting sick, however the company is urging parents to check their rice cereal cannisters.

The recall involves one lot of Beech-Nut Stage 1, Single Grain Rice Cereal for babies.

Rice cereal cannisters contain product codes: 103470XXXX and 093470XXXX with an expiration of 01MAY2022.

"The safety of infants and children is Beech-Nut's top priority," said Jason Jacobs, Vice President, Food Safety and Quality. "We are issuing this voluntary recall, because we learned through routine sampling by the State of Alaska that a limited quantity of Beech-Nut Single Grain Rice Cereal products had levels of naturally-occurring inorganic arsenic above the FDA guidance level, even though the rice flour used to produce these products tested below the FDA guidance level for inorganic arsenic."

The company says it will also stop selling Beech-Nut branded Single Grain Rice Cereal altogether because it's "concerned about the ability to consistently obtain rice flour well-below the FDA guidance level and Beech-Nut specifications for naturally occurring inorganic arsenic."

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says consumers should discard the product in question and contact Beech-Nut for a refund or an exchange. Consumers can also call also 1-866-272-9417, Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.