The consumer magazine Öko-Test examined rice from 21 brands. Four products scored “very good”, two of the products tested were so bad they were removed from the range.

Rice is the most important staple food for half of the world’s population. Rice dishes are also popular in Germany. There is a wide choice in supermarkets and discounters. But which manufacturer is the best? Öko-Test examined 21 different brands, eleven of which were produced organically – seven products each made from natural rice, risotto rice and basmati rice.

A total of five products fail with a rating of “poor” or “inadequate”, four are recommended with the highest rating of “very good”. Two rice-based products were even removed from the range after the eco-test. A product from Lidl and a product from Kaufland are among the winners.

Rice in the eco-test: products are tested for harmful substances

A laboratory has tested all products for heavy metals. “Especially in wet rice cultivation, contamination with inorganic arsenic and cadmium occurs again and again,” the testers report. All products have also been tested for pesticide residues, mineral oil components and other pollutants. Trained sensory experts tasted all products and rated them based on taste, smell and consistency.

The packaging has been analyzed by a laboratory for PVC/PVDC/chlorinated compounds. It was also a question of transparency: “In order to know in which country the affected rice was grown, all manufacturers were asked to disclose their supply chain from the batch of products tested to the field,” report the testers .

Norma removes rice from its range: Öko-Test detects arsenic, mineral oil and pesticides in the organic product

Examination of the ingredients revealed the presence of very high amounts of harmful substances in two products. This is natural rice from the Norma “Bio-Sonne” brand. “It would have been double for a six,” testers report. This rice mainly contained the pesticide “1,2-dichloroethane” above the authorized limit. This medicine has long been banned in the EU because it is classified as carcinogenic. Norma confirmed the results of Öko-Test in its own analysis and subsequently removed brown rice from the range.

Organic products have previously performed poorly in the Big Chip organic test: almost all of them failed.

“Rapunzel” rice will be withdrawn from sale

“Rapunzel” rice has also disappeared from store shelves. This rice contains twice as much cadmium as the permitted limit. Cadmium is a heavy metal that can cause significant damage to kidney and bone health.

Two branded products – “Tegut Natural Rice” and “Oryza Risotto Rice” – were also rated “unsatisfactory”. “The many harmful substances were mainly contained in a handful of products. Nearly two-thirds of test moves received a “good” or “very good” rating. “Including the seven basmatis,” writes Öko-Test.

Basmati rice performs well on average: the Lidl product is one of the winners

Basmati rice comes from India or Pakistan, has a fine, uniformly long grain and develops its characteristic floral aroma when cooked. Lidl’s “Golden Sun Organic Basmati Rice” received the highest rating with “very good”. He did one of the best.

Mineral oil components, pesticides and fumigants were not detected at all. Only humid cultivation is cited as a point of criticism because it is considered harmful to the climate.

According to Öko-Test, Kaufland offers the best brown rice

Kaufland’s “K-Bio Long Grain Brown Rice” received the highest rating for brown rice with a “good” rating. Brown rice, also called whole grain or complete rice, still contains its shoot as well as the shell of the fruit and seed (“silver skin”). Compared to white rice, it is therefore richer in the vitamins, fibers and minerals it contains.

“Very good” for three types of risotto rice in the organic test

For risotto rice, three products were also rated “very good”: “Midsona Arborio white rice”, “Dennree risotto rice” and “Rewe Beste Wahl risotto rice”. Another positive aspect is that these products come from Italy and do not have long delivery routes. The Italian Arborio rice from the “Rewe Beste Wahl” brand is also the only one in the test to have been grown using climate-friendly dry farming.

Risotto rice is medium or short grain milled rice and is often grown in Italy. Its particularity: once prepared, it must become creamy on the outside and remain al dente in the center.

Öko-Test explains this rating: “A product only receives the rating “very good” if it is neither harmful to health nor to the environment. Only if all components have been sufficiently taken into account and have been assessed as safe by the independent institute can the Öko-Test rate the product “very good”.