The rice It is the most consumed cereal in the world, the basic food for billions of people and an integral part of the Mediterranean diet. In Italy it is the basis of typical dishes such as risotto, and every year we consume about six kilos each. But how safe is the rice we put on the table? Unfortunately, the answer is increasingly worrying.
According to what theRisi National Authority, every three days the European Union issues a food alert for rice imported contaminated with pesticides An alarming situation, which puts consumer health at risk and penalizes European producers.
Among the most recent reports there is also a call of which we told you about a batch of basmati rice in 4 kg packs, produced by Umer Traders Pakistan and marketed in Italy by Fresh Tropical Srl. Reason for food alert? The presence of acetamiprid and Thiamethoxam, two unauthorized pesticides in the EU and potentially dangerous for health.
Boom of notifications from Pakistan and India
To arouse greater concern are the products from Pakistan and India dominating reports, with 29 and 25 alerts respectively, equal to 82% of the total. A figure that exceeds the previous 77% record recorded in 2024.
Second Natalia Bobba, president of the National Risi Authority, It is an intolerable situation:
We cannot continue to suffer a situation that sees us seriously penalized. These imports take place without reciprocity and the absence of rules penalizes the market and our operators. The European market must be opened only to the products obtained in compliance with the rules to which we are also kept on food safety, environmental protection and work protection.
Product tests confirm it
These are not just official alerts: even several independent tests have confirmed the problem. For example, a recent survey published by the Swiss magazine Bon à Savoir has analyzed 12 basmati rice samples sold in supermarkets and ethnic shops And more than half was not compliant with the presence of pesticides, with up to 13 different substances in a single pack. All the samples analyzed came from India and Pakistan.
Although the test was conducted in Switzerland, some of the brands may also be present on the Italian market, especially in ethnic stores.
Italian rice also has its problems
If on the one hand the imported rice raises concern for pesticides, Italian rice is also not free of critical issues. A recent US tests conducted by Healthy Babies, Bright Futures, Diffused exclusively by the CNN, he revealed the presence of worrying levels of arsenic and cadmium in over 100 rice samples, including Italian products.
Among the most contaminated, there is the Arborio rice cultivated in Italy, with 142 ppb (parts per billion) of heavy metals, of which 101 ppb of inorganic arsenic, value near the maximum limit set by the American FDA for the products intended for childhood. In addition to the Arsenic, a high concentration of cadmium has also been detected, a toxic metal that can compromise the neurological development of children, cause kidney problems and other pathologies.
: Rice contaminated by Arsenico and Cadmio: Italian Arborio is among the worst of the new USA test
Despite that, Choosing Italian rice generally remains the safest choice, Thanks to more stringent checks and greater traceability along the supply chain.
The fact remains that, from contamination from pesticides to Asian rises to that from heavy metals in Italian rice, the problem of food safety linked to rice is of universal scope. The analyzes show that contamination can vary considerably on the basis of the cultivation area and the type of rice: the full rice, for example, tends to accumulate more heavy metals, while the basmati and jasmine varieties are, on average, less contaminated by arsenic but more exposed to the massive use of phytopharmacies.
It is evident that more severe checks are needed at borders, rules of reciprocity in commercial exchanges and greater transparency along the entire supply chain. But it also serves a greater awareness on the part of consumers, who can start protecting themselves by carefully reading the labels, preferring traceable products and varying their diet with alternative cereals such as oats, mile, spelled or quinoa.
