Big C says its packed rice totally safe

[webfact]

Big C says its packed rice totally safe
By English News



BANGKOK, June 25 – Big C Supercentre and Sandee Rice gave assurances to Thai consumers that the quality of their packed rice has been strictly controlled and completely free from health-hazardous substances.

Sandee Rice is the major supplier of the grain for the hypermarket’s packed rice distribution.

Burin Tanathavornlarp, managing director of Sandee Rice Co, and Kudatarn Narkviroj, Big C Supercentre’s corporate relations director, jointly ruled out rumours in the social media about rotten rice at some hypermarkets in the country.

They said their rice packaging process was up to international standards and subject to quality checks by globally-accredited SGS laboratory analysis.

According to widespread rumour through social media, rotten rice from the government’s rice pledging programme has been packed in plastic bags and sold in the local market including at hypermarkets.

The Big C and Sandee executives took the local media to inspect their quality control and packaging processes to ensure safety for consumers.

They said it would be unnecessary for rice to be certified by the Food and Drugs Administration since the procedure of quality checks by laboratories is sophisticated and reliable.

The Thai Rice Packers Association has proposed to the Commerce Ministry in the past few months to bid for at least 300,000 tonnes of rice in the ministry’s stockpiles to be packed in plastic bags for retail sale.

The association is still waiting for the ministry’s reply on whether it would be allowed to join the bids. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2013-06-25

[ratcatcher]

Somehow, I don't think Big C, Tesco, Tops or any other reputable supermarket would risk trying to sell anything but high quality product. Maybe this rotten rice will show up in bulk sacks at smaller markets and stores.

Then again T.I.T.

[MikeOboe57]

They said it would be unnecessary for rice to be certified by the Food and Drugs Administration since the procedure of quality checks by laboratories is sophisticated and reliable.

Afraid they may find something?

[givenall]

Where is the test result from an independent and reputable lab, talk is cheap

[pedro01]

This rice fiasco gets worse by the day.

Now you are going to have Thai rice consumers shunning local product because of these fears.

The list of people hurt from this grows each day!

[wolf5370]

I will not buy rice from my local BigC. The reason is that they all seem to be infested with weevils. I showed my daughters that by knocking the rice packs gently, you can see the bugs - in any brand of packed rice (except the vacuum packed I guess - can't knock on them they are solid as a brick). This isn't a one off, its been true for at least five years. It may only be the one supermarket store, maybe they store it poorly out back, I have no conducted a country wide investigation.

I prefer to get rice from the market (always seem to be the freshest and never bug infested) or 7-11 (small bags, but the aircon keeps the bugs out I guess).

[BookMan]

There was a thread started here on TV about moldy smelling rice from one of the major retailers about a month back

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/643915-moldy-smelling-rice/?hl=rice

[hellodolly]

They said it would be unnecessary for rice to be certified by the Food and Drugs Administration since the procedure of quality checks by laboratories is sophisticated and reliable.

Afraid they may find something?

exactly,

They should have been inviting them in to inspect it.

What a no brainer headline.

Can you imagine one like

Beg C says they have rice which can be partially spoiled.

[Bellweather]

They said it would be unnecessary for rice to be certified by the Food and Drugs Administration since the procedure of quality checks by laboratories is sophisticated and reliable.

Afraid they may find something?

Why is it the more assurances we are given in Thailand the more suspicious we become ? After all it's not as if we are mislead on a regular basis...LOL

[Thai at Heart]

They said it would be unnecessary for rice to be certified by the Food and Drugs Administration since the procedure of quality checks by laboratories is sophisticated and reliable.

Afraid they may find something?

exactly,

They should have been inviting them in to inspect it.

What a no brainer headline.

Can you imagine one like

Beg C says they have rice which can be partially spoiled.

Instead of holding up moisturisers that have been sold in Europe for years, and tested overseas wouldn't the fda be more use sampling Thai foodstuffs?

God knows what they would find....

Edited June 25, 2013 by Thai at Heart

[borisloosebrain]

Of course BIG C would say that . Their policy would be to always sell safe good quality food. However the implementation of that policy is in the hands of workers not the policy makers or PR guys and I for one have purchased fresh goods from BIG C that once we got home turned out to be rancid and not fit for consumption on several occasions. I no longer buy fish or meats from them if they have been packaged at BIG C.

[spirit47]

BANGKOK, June 25 – Big C Supercentre and Sandee Rice gave assurances to Thai consumers that the quality of their packed rice has been strictly controlled and completely free from health-hazardous substances.

Then all the rice they sell is 100% organic, without any pesticide, arsenic, bisphenol free package and, and, and ...

I buy the rice from friends, this packs only for dogfood.

[CPT]

I will not buy rice from my local BigC. The reason is that they all seem to be infested with weevils. I showed my daughters that by knocking the rice packs gently, you can see the bugs - in any brand of packed rice (except the vacuum packed I guess - can't knock on them they are solid as a brick). This isn't a one off, its been true for at least five years. It may only be the one supermarket store, maybe they store it poorly out back, I have no conducted a country wide investigation.

I prefer to get rice from the market (always seem to be the freshest and never bug infested) or 7-11 (small bags, but the aircon keeps the bugs out I guess).

Since the recent concern regarding rice is high levels of pesticides, perhaps the bugs are a positive?

[spirit47]

Of course BIG C would say that . Their policy would be to always sell safe good quality food. However the implementation of that policy is in the hands of workers not the policy makers or PR guys and I for one have purchased fresh goods from BIG C that once we got home turned out to be rancid and not fit for consumption on several occasions. I no longer buy fish or meats from them if they have been packaged at BIG C.

Tesco is the same, I see old meats there, green chicken liver, I wonder they not shame to show it. I buy meats in Foodland.

[pinball]

A Bit of topic, but I went to buy cans of Singha Beer in Big C,Saphan Kwai Branch and I see there mixing the cans display IE: some cans had a fill date from last year and early this year, others where this month, year old canned beer tastes awful also has a musty sort of taste. I think Big C is the worst for this stupid practice there just trying to sell the old stuff they get from the brewery. Added to that when the sales assistant saw me looking at the bottom of the cans she ask me to stop doing so and told me they where all the same, when I pointed out the dates she walked a way in huff. Needless to say I wont buy beer there any more.

PB

[BuriramRes]

Somehow, I don't think Big C, Tesco, Tops or any other reputable supermarket would risk trying to sell anything but high quality product. Maybe this rotten rice will show up in bulk sacks at smaller markets and stores.

Then again T.I.T.

I've given up buying ice cream from BigC in Buriram after buying two packs of pre-melted then frozen product recently.

I see they are still selling it.

[mikemac]

"Since the recent concern regarding rice is high levels of pesticides, perhaps the bugs are a positive?"......Spot on ! I would rather eat rice which has been "tasted" by weevils than to be poisoned by God knows what deadly poisons they spray this stuff with.

Big C is a joke. I have lost count how many times I have asked for a carton of 24 small bottles of San Miguel beer, only to be told "Mai mee". They are happy for me to buy 24 loose bottles but not in carton form.

[diz]

I will not buy rice from my local BigC. The reason is that they all seem to be infested with weevils. I showed my daughters that by knocking the rice packs gently, you can see the bugs - in any brand of packed rice (except the vacuum packed I guess - can't knock on them they are solid as a brick). This isn't a one off, its been true for at least five years. It may only be the one supermarket store, maybe they store it poorly out back, I have no conducted a country wide investigation.

I prefer to get rice from the market (always seem to be the freshest and never bug infested) or 7-11 (small bags, but the aircon keeps the bugs out I guess).

If there are bugs it's at least organic ;-)

[eddie61]

i have a triffic idea for a rotten rice detector. It also detects explosives, porkie pies and flatulence.

Special bargain price only baht 1.6 mio per piece including commisions and import expenses. Offer is only valid for Thai government procurement.

[drdoom6996]

Where is the test result from an independent and reputable lab, talk is cheap

Absolutely the cheapest thing in Thailand. And most abundant. Talk!

[Unkomoncents]

Which almost certainly means that Big C's packed rice is NOT totally safe, as just taking Thai pronouncements and assuming the opposite is true brings a fair rate of success for discovering the truth in the Kingdom.

[bangkokstick]

We trust them, of course !!!

[bigbamboo]

If it ever gets out in the international domain that Thais are worried that their own rice is contaminated then the game is well and truly up for the kingdom's greatest export.

[how241]

Somehow, I don't think Big C, Tesco, Tops or any other reputable supermarket would risk trying to sell anything but high quality product. Maybe this rotten rice will show up in bulk sacks at smaller markets and stores.

Then again T.I.T.

+1

[Thai at Heart]

Why don't they put the SGS testing certificates up on their website?

[writeshack]

We bought some of the highest grade A hom mali rice from Big C this weekend, Royal Umbrella. My wife has been growing rice all her life and insists after opening the pack this is mixed with old rice and is substandard. Our own crop last year was destroyed by drought, so we have to buy for the first time in 15 years.