Thailand's Commerce Ministry insist packed rice safe for consumption

[webfact]

State agencies insist packed rice safe for consumption
By Digital Media



BANGKOK, June 27 – Thailand's Commerce Ministry has given assurances that packed rice sold at government-supervised retail stores is safe with no threat of hazard from fumigation or insects.

In a meeting of the House Standing Committee on Economic Development Wednesday, Somsak Kiatchailak from the Internal Trade Department told lawmakers that the Commerce Ministry’s two major retail outlets – Took Jai and Blue Flag – have sold 50,000 tonnes or 11 million packages of quality rice nationwide.

He denied allegations that the ministry’s rice was rotten and over-fumigated, and insisted that the production process has met standards and quality control measures to ensure safety.

Chalida Dinudom, vice president of the Public Warehouse Organisation (PWO), said packed rice sold at the Blue Flag stores and other retail shops was newly harvested.

The two latest crops have yielded 2.5 million tonnes of grains, 500,000 tonnes of which have been sold through six companies, she said.

Chusak Wongvichakorn of the Department of Agriculture said quality and effective fumigation eradicates grain borers and insects but is not hazardous to people’s health.

Some House committee members, however, said they believed the packed rice sold at the Commerce Ministry’s “Took Jai” stores was from the old harvest season.

The Commerce Minister and PWO officials could neither confirm nor deny the observation, saying they were not directly in charge of rice distribution.

A committee member, Chanin Rungsaeng, proposed that the Commerce Ministry and private traders put labels indicating harvest year on the rice packages.

The House committee will invite officials from related government agencies to give more information in another meeting next Wednesday. (MCOT online news)


-- TNA 2013-06-27

[ChrisY1]

This's good news...I did'nt think for one minute that the Commerce Ministry might not tell the truth.......however.....I do believe that they don't have the slightest clue, and would'nt care, if the rice is over fumigated, rotten and not fit for consumption....!!

[seajae]

2.5 million tons, hmm, isnt that the same amount that went missing

[EyesWideOpen]

So at this point, it appears that not only will Thailand have an international reputation for selling moldy rice, it will also have a reputation for that in the domestic market as well. The drumbeat of bad news continues on.... The only silver lining in this cloud is if PTP loses the election over the corruption and losses in this catastrophic program...

[chooka]

So at this point, it appears that not only will Thailand have an international reputation for selling moldy rice, it will also have a reputation for that in the domestic market as well. The drumbeat of bad news continues on.... The only silver lining in this cloud is if PTP loses the election over the corruption and losses in this catastrophic program...

But they will be the number 1 producer of mouldy rice, can't get any better than that.

[eddie61]

So at this point, it appears that not only will Thailand have an international reputation for selling moldy rice, it will also have a reputation for that in the domestic market as well. The drumbeat of bad news continues on.... The only silver lining in this cloud is if PTP loses the election over the corruption and losses in this catastrophic program...

turn it into lao khao and keep the peasants on the farm

[Tywais]

Fumigation and not hazardous in the same sentence doesn't seem quite right.

[monkeycountry]

"He denied allegations that the ministry’s rice was rotten and over-fumigated, and insisted that the production process has met standards and quality control measures to ensure safety."

Well, if a PTP official insists on something being true, then surely it must be true, especially when, as usual, there is not a shred of evidence to back up the claim

If I was in the rice business, I would stay as far away from Thai rice as possible. Why take the chance, when there is plenty of foreign rice to buy at the same or lower price, none of which is involved in a ton of scandals?

Ie. 1 car is brand new, and sold by a proper and reputable dealer. A similar car is for sale by another dealer, with a terrible reputation, and who many people claim sells old and damaged cars as if they were new cars, and the dealer has failed miserably to prove them wrong. The 2 cars are similarly priced (the second car might be slightly more expensive). Which one would you buy?

[Thai at Heart]

Note that they are only issuing new crop. Does this suggest that old crop isn't up to muster, or is it a little musty?

[chinostar]

A committee member, Chanin Rungsaeng, proposed that the Commerce Ministry and private traders put labels indicating harvest year on the rice packages.

What no date of Expiration yet like on any food products??????

Better not buy Thai rice from now on.

[MaxLee]

They want to RICE SCAM-POISON the entire nation with Nationwide diarrhea....

[tonneke breda]

So they quickly found some back before the counting starts??

[Thai at Heart]

A committee member, Chanin Rungsaeng, proposed that the Commerce Ministry and private traders put labels indicating harvest year on the rice packages.

What no date of Expiration yet like on any food products??????

Better not buy Thai rice from now on.

Such an amazing idea. This man is truly brilliant. Astonishing insight.

Of course, this has been stipulated for export forever, but of course, not deemed worthwhile for the domestic market.

Thanks.....

[Pimay1]

Thailand's Commerce Ministry has given assurances that packed rice sold at government-supervised retail stores is safe with no threat of hazard from fumigation or insects.

I equate this statement to the one from Yingluck a couple of weeks back that there is no cabinet reshuffle in the works. Yes means no. No means yes.

[worgeordie]

Can you ever really believe any Government to tell the truth,

like the old joke , how can you tell a politician is lying ,his mouth

is moving !,

We are only pawns in their game, Bob was right.

regards Worgeordie

[Thai at Heart]

Thailand's Commerce Ministry has given assurances that packed rice sold at government-supervised retail stores is safe with no threat of hazard from fumigation or insects.

I equate this statement to the one from Yingluck a couple of weeks back that there is no cabinet reshuffle in the works. Yes means no. No means yes.

Fumigation doesn't damage food. It is used globally on everything except organic produce.

Your cornflakes, your oranges, your eggplants even if produced domestically have probably been fumigated with phostoxin.

[jcb2001]

So at this point, it appears that not only will Thailand have an international reputation for selling moldy rice, it will also have a reputation for that in the domestic market as well. The drumbeat of bad news continues on.... The only silver lining in this cloud is if PTP loses the election over the corruption and losses in this catastrophic program...

But they will be the number 1 producer of mouldy rice, can't get any better than that.

The hub of Moldy rice.

[hellodolly]

Note that they are only issuing new crop. Does this suggest that old crop isn't up to muster, or is it a little musty?

Exactly

I Quote and finished off the one quote.

"He denied allegations that the ministry’s rice was rotten and over-fumigated, and insisted that the production process has met standards and quality control measures to ensure safety. For rats.

Chalida Dinudom, vice president of the Public Warehouse Organisation (PWO), said packed rice sold at the Blue Flag stores and other retail shops was newly harvested."

Only selling new crops means they are letting the edibility of the old crops degenerate until the rats wont even eat it.

Does any one know if they have told the Ivory Coast that the rice was 100% edible and they had misjudged the Thai rice.

[hellodolly]

A committee member, Chanin Rungsaeng, proposed that the Commerce Ministry and private traders put labels indicating harvest year on the rice packages.

What no date of Expiration yet like on any food products??????

Better not buy Thai rice from now on.

If they did put the year of harvest on them it would probably be the Buddhist year.

Going to have to try to remember that year as soon as the wife tells me.

[Thai at Heart]

Note that they are only issuing new crop. Does this suggest that old crop isn't up to muster, or is it a little musty?

Exactly

I Quote and finished off the one quote.

"He denied allegations that the ministrys rice was rotten and over-fumigated, and insisted that the production process has met standards and quality control measures to ensure safety. For rats.

Chalida Dinudom, vice president of the Public Warehouse Organisation (PWO), said packed rice sold at the Blue Flag stores and other retail shops was newly harvested."

Only selling new crops means they are letting the edibility of the old crops degenerate until the rats wont even eat it.

Does any one know if they have told the Ivory Coast that the rice was 100% edible and they had misjudged the Thai rice.

Rats eat anything. It's impossible to over fumigate.

Consumers don't like mouldy anything. The old crop is getting close to the end of its sellable life.

[Payboy]

State agencies insist packed rice safe for consumption

So many weevils can't be wrong!

[bigbamboo]

And herein lies the problem.

If Thai people are worried about the condition of their own rice what are foreign buyers going to think?

[Thai at Heart]

State agencies insist packed rice safe for consumption

So many weevils can't be wrong!

They can't say it's dangerous, so it's definitely the lesser of two weevils to say it's safe.

There is no risk from fumigation and I will say it over and over again. Unless you want funnel webs and tarantulas climbing through your Ozzie grapes or Israeli dates.

If Australia didn't insist on fumigation, who knows maybe a sensible leader of the labour party might have finally got through.

Edited June 27, 2013 by Thai at Heart

[Tywais]

There is no risk from fumigation and I will say it over and over again.

Phosphine is the primary fumigant for this. Don't know how you can say there is no risk, very broad statement considering the below. Proper use and you are correct, but this is Thailand and I have read of over fumigating and done multiple times over a year.

Phosphine is very toxic to all forms of animal life, hence exposure of human beings even to small amounts should be avoided. Poisoning can result from ingestion or inhalation; however, the gas is not absorbed through the skin. A concentration of 2.8 mg/l (ca 2 000 ppm in air) is lethal to humans in a very short time (Flury and Zernik, 1931). The threshold limit value is usually set at 0.3 ppm for a 40-hour work week. Symptoms of poisoning for humans are described below under "First Aid".

Phosphine ranks as one of the most toxic fumigants of stored product insects (see Chapter 14, Table 16). It is a slow acting poison that is effective at very low concentrations if the exposure time is long enough.

FAO

[Thai at Heart]

There is no risk from fumigation and I will say it over and over again.

Phosphine is the primary fumigant for this. Don't know how you can say there is no risk, very broad statement considering the below. Proper use and you are correct, but this is Thailand and I have read of over fumigating and done multiple times over a year.

Phosphine is very toxic to all forms of animal life, hence exposure of human beings even to small amounts should be avoided. Poisoning can result from ingestion or inhalation; however, the gas is not absorbed through the skin. A concentration of 2.8 mg/l (ca 2 000 ppm in air) is lethal to humans in a very short time (Flury and Zernik, 1931). The threshold limit value is usually set at 0.3 ppm for a 40-hour work week. Symptoms of poisoning for humans are described below under "First Aid".

Phosphine ranks as one of the most toxic fumigants of stored product insects (see Chapter 14, Table 16). It is a slow acting poison that is effective at very low concentrations if the exposure time is long enough.

FAO

The residues or leaves behind are absolutely negligible. I presume you grew up in a western country.

Basically every foodstuff that is stored for any length of time goes through fumigation.

Grain, corn, wheat, potatoes etc etc. That is why your greens or corn arrives on the shelf with no live pests. Particularly the UK, since the shipping is a little slower due to the channel.

Anything tropical into Europe or the USA is fumigated in this fashion for the last 80 years. It's exactly the same thing that is done in the USA to rid a house of termites.

Wrap it in polythene, their in aluminium phoshide tablets according to the volume. Leave it for 3 days. Ventilate for 2. Your Kellogg's corn flakes or rice krispies on the shelf anywhere in the world are pest free because they have been fumigated.

Otherwise, Tesco in the UK , walmart in the usa, would look like an insect display.

It does not harm the consumer, but fumigation has to be carried out by trained people. Ever tried to ship fruit to Australia? Yup. It's fumigated at double strength to EU or USA regulation.

Edited June 27, 2013 by Thai at Heart