There may be a reason to avoid some Uncle Ben's Infused Rice. The product may be having some problems with niacin, the organic compound also known as vitamin B3. Now, the Food and Drug Administration is issuing a warning against eating Uncle Ben's rice products after children in three states had skin reactions and other symptoms that were linked to the rice, according to StlToday.com.
On Monday, Mars Foodservices announced that it was recalling a number of products after its Uncle Ben's Infused Rice sickened 34 students and four teachers in schools in Texas, according to Food Safety News. Symptoms included burning rashes, headaches and nausea for 30 to 90 minutes before the symptoms finally subsided.
The recall is a big deal, considering how many institutions buy the rice. The infused flavors are bought by restaurants, schools, hospitals and other commercial establishments, according to CBS Local. And this isn't the only incident to have occurred, either. Before the outbreak in Texas, there was another incident in Illinois on Dec. 4. That's when 25 students who had eaten Uncle Ben's Infused Rice Products reported similar symptoms, according to CBS Local.
Currently, the FDA is still investigating the Texas incident. Yet early reports state that FDA officials have found an excess of niacin in the products. An overexposure of niacin can cause skin reactions, while very large doses can cause indigestion and nausea, according to StlToday.
So what products are being recalled? Currently, the recalled products are the 5- and 25-pound bags of Uncle Ben's flavor-infused rice. These include the chicken flavor, garlic and butter flavor, Mexican flavor, saffron flavor, cheese flavor, Spanish flavor and Uncle Ben's Rice Pilaf. Mars Foodservice is also working with the FDA in order to get the recalled rice out of lunch lines before it can further impact the public health.
