this post was submitted on 05 Aug 2023
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The Indian rice export ban, the war in Ukraine and El Niño are combining to create a "doom loop" for the world's poorest people, as staple food prices soar.

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[–] nodsocket@lemmy.world -2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Most rice in the world is poisoned by pollutants anyway. Since rice grows in water it collects arsenic from pesticides and when you eat it regularly it puts you at risk for a wide variety of arsenic related diseases. Ironically, the rice with the least amount of nutrients (white rice) also has the lowest arsenic levels.

[–] Zoboomafoo@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

What are you talking about? The whole point of flooding rice fields is to manage insects without pesticides

[–] nodsocket@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Arsenic was used as a pesticide in many parts of the world throughout the 20th century. Even if it wasn't used on rice it ended up in the water where the rice grew.

https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2012/11/arsenic-in-your-food/index.htm