The rice brands that can damage your health

Three brands of rice imported from the mainland have been found to contain illegal amounts of the carcinogenic chemical element cadmium, the Consumer Council revealed yesterday.

"If you consume this rice on a long-term basis, it can affect your kidneys and bladder," warned Professor Ron Hui Shu-yuen, a member of the Consumer Council's publicity and community relations committee.

The council said cadmium, a metal, is most dangerous when inhaled. When consumed in food, the risks are much smaller.

Under Hong Kong's Food Adulteration (Metallic Contamination) Regulations, the cadmium content of rice should not exceed 0.1 milligram per kilogram. When the council tested 44 brands of mainland rice, three were found to breach the limits.

Jin Feng Nian's Chang Xiang Yu Rice contained 0.223mg of cadmium in a kilogram of rice. It was imported from Nanchang city, Jiangxi province.

"If you eat three bowls of this kind of rice a day for a long period of time, it can harm your health," Hui said.