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Rice Made From Plastic: Real Or Myth?

Feature Article Supposed 'plastic rice' which went viral on social media few months ago.
NOV 10, 2017 LISTEN
Supposed 'plastic rice' which went viral on social media few months ago.

Rice made from plastic has recently been reported in the media, to be imported and consumed in Ghana. These ‘plastic/rubber rice’ are usually alleged to be manufactured in Vietnam and/or China. However, such reports have not been substantiated; at least not yet. Some food safety experts and sections of the Ghanaian populace have therefore regarded such reports as misleading, unproven and usually creating unnecessary public fear and panic.

For instance, in December 2016, it was reported that 2.5 tonnes of plastic rice from China had been seized in Nigeria. However, few weeks afterwards, a spokesperson of the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Health stated that, after preliminary tests performed, the seized material contained all the characteristics of rice; there was no evidence that plastic rice was circulating in the country. It was later announced by Yetunde Oni, The Acting Director General of NAFDAC, that the rice was instead contaminated with bacteria.

Similarly, the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), after laboratory investigations, rubbished claims that there is a so-called plastic rice on the Ghanaian market as alleged through videos circulating on social media and elsewhere.

HOW TO DETECT ‘PLASTIC/RUBBER RICE’

Some food safety experts are of the view that, plastic rice grains, if any, should easily be detected after cooking. One may therefore ask, ‘what if such rice was acquired and used by a restaurant or food vendor, how can it be detected by a consumer, and what steps should the consumer take?’

Explaining how to identify real rice from plastic rice, the head of Food Safety Management at the FDA, Madam Maria Lovelace-Johnson, said “there was no way plastic will not melt at boiling temperature” during cooking; adding that “plastic cannot be moulded at room temperature”.

The FDA further explained that the textural properties of rice is responsible for the bouncing of cooked moulded rice when it hit on hard surfaces, confirming that there is no plastic rice on the Ghanaian market.

HOW TO DEAL WITH ‘PLASTIC/RUBBER RICE’

Posting such suspected instances on social media platforms tend to warn consumers and create awareness for further investigation to be conducted.

A case in point were photos and a video which went viral on social media which lead to the arrest of two women involved in artificially colouring of oranges to boost sales. However, it would also pay for consumers to report such come across, preferably with a sample of the suspected product, to the food safety authorities for the necessary actions to be taken.

It is argued that producing such plastic rice is more likely to be expensive than natural rice, thereby discouraging such practice. This argument is coupled with the fact that authorities worldwide have not 'proven' that plastic rice are indeed on the markets. However, being on a constant lookout for plastic rice by food safety experts and consumers is encouraged, as the FDA has called on Ghanaians to be alert and report any food items that they feel suspicious about.

In light of this, a clinical nutritionist, Dr. Ben Nuako speaking to Adom News on 20th June, 2017, called on the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) to beef up security at the various ports to prevent the alleged importation of plastic rice. He further appealed to the authorities not to relent in checking the quality of rice consumed by the Ghanaian populace.

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