Tests show Thai rice not hazardous

[Soutpeel]

How could manipulating the market by overproduction advantage Thailand or its farmers?

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/653296-how-thailands-botched-rice-scheme-blew-a-big-hole-in-its-economy/

[tragickingdom]

Not hazardous and top quality are quite a difference. The rule in Thailand should however be: Do not eat it, unless you have seen yourself how and where it is produced. The same rule applies for US food products where they do things with food that God has forbidden in his 10 commandments, such as bleaching chicken, using growth hormones, the use of antibiotics in animal food, the use of Frankenstein seeds and so on. It is better to be safe than sorry and the likes of CP and Monsanto will never label their products, while factories as natural fruit use virtual slave labor. Going short, as long as even the fruit is poisoned with thick layers of poison you better eat canned products from Western Europe or Japan.

[Cnxforever]

They're doing the "Thai" thing again ... repeat an untruth enough times and it becomes the truth in their minds and everyone should believe them.

What little credibility any Thai bureaucracy had (which wasn't much to begin with) has been lost completely in the last few years.

Thats why the tests should have been carried out by independent foreign experts - any results achieved by Thai officials are not to be trusted.

Pockets are deep here corruption is rampant and as we all know results can be "guided". There should be a detailed list of what was tested for. Was the rice also tested for lead content? These tests are easily manipulated by pretending they have been comprehensive while in fact only certain limited tests have been carried out - the result is then published making it look like nothing or only minor condamination was found!

[bkkmaak]

Let's do this...

33 samples

Assume 25kg per sample (being kind here... it was probably less)

That's 825kg of samples in total

Assume they found just 5g of foreign material (again being conservative)

Let's say Thailand has 17 million metric tons of rice in storage = 17,000 million kg (conservative again)

Assume that the rice in storage is as clean as the rice they sampled from the supermarkets (again very kind and extremely unlikely)

The calculation (5g out of 825kg * 17M tons):

.005/825 * 17,000,000,000 = 103,030kg

So using best possible case assumptions Thailand has in storage at least 100 tons of weevil, rat, mouse and insect contaminants.

[stargazer]

Grains, and anything produced from grains, contain, and are always allowed a certain amount of contaminants. This is worldwide.

Different countries allow different levels.

Of course...but the esteemed health ministry appears to be inferring that there is pasta being imported into Thailand which is their opinion is hazardeous to peoples health, therefore as the Public Health Ministry, shouldnt they be publishing their findings on said pasta...seeing as one assumes this is one of their job functions as a public health ministry ?

True, if they are doing their job correctly then they would name these pasta brands in the public interest.

Before I believe anything they say I would like to hear from other independent inspectors. In a country full of corruption, lies, deceit and scams it is just a little hard to believe anything they say. Trust me I am a THAI Government official.

It is not whether one will get sick from the rice, it is about the quality of the rice. Mixing old with new. They never address this issue.

[Rorri]

The live weevil,in packaged, on the shelf for sale to public rice, should end the entire debate about rice quality. As mentioned no real percentages are given, by the individual tasked with improving public confidence, 'this week'.

With the number of groups investigating missing rice, corruption, storage, handling, quality, quanity, etc whose finding are disputed by government spolesmen/women, its like a challenge to a duel, but nither side is to load their weapon.

Well, you saved me from bring up the "live weevil" comment. Live weevils breed very quickly, even in packaged produce. I really am shocked they even mentioned the word "live."

[bigbamboo]

Manky old third rate chicken isn't hazardous either.... but I still wouldn't want to eat it.

[AnotherOneAmerican]

"animal fur" and "insect parts" i guess that means rat fur and cockroach parts?

Rat and weevil!

[Tatsujin]

They're doing the "Thai" thing again ... repeat an untruth enough times and it becomes the truth in their minds and everyone should believe them.

What little credibility any Thai bureaucracy had (which wasn't much to begin with) has been lost completely in the last few years.

Thats why the tests should have been carried out by independent foreign experts - any results achieved by Thai officials are not to be trusted.

Pockets are deep here corruption is rampant and as we all know results can be "guided". There should be a detailed list of what was tested for. Was the rice also tested for lead content? These tests are easily manipulated by pretending they have been comprehensive while in fact only certain limited tests have been carried out - the result is then published making it look like nothing or only minor condamination was found!

I find it hard to believe than any real, proper, comprehensive testing has been done simply based on the amount of rice there actually is in storage now spread all over Thailand, and by the other fact that they've "misplaced" such a lot of it anyway.

[Thai at Heart]

They're doing the "Thai" thing again ... repeat an untruth enough times and it becomes the truth in their minds and everyone should believe them.

What little credibility any Thai bureaucracy had (which wasn't much to begin with) has been lost completely in the last few years.

Thats why the tests should have been carried out by independent foreign experts - any results achieved by Thai officials are not to be trusted.

Pockets are deep here corruption is rampant and as we all know results can be "guided". There should be a detailed list of what was tested for. Was the rice also tested for lead content? These tests are easily manipulated by pretending they have been comprehensive while in fact only certain limited tests have been carried out - the result is then published making it look like nothing or only minor condamination was found!

I find it hard to believe than any real, proper, comprehensive testing has been done simply based on the amount of rice there actually is in storage now spread all over Thailand, and by the other fact that they've "misplaced" such a lot of it anyway.

They have to do tests to a certain level to ship to the EU and USA. Unless they can cherry pick that rice specifically for export, it's all the same.

They can only test it after milling, so, how to separate within limit from outside limit? That would mean that there have been thousands of tests done, if so where are the results.

[Thai at Heart]

http://ec.europa.eu/food/plant/plant_protection_products/max_residue_levels/index_en.htm

The mrls are all in their database.

[Baerboxer]

You can't believe anything any Thai government agency says. You won't find anything detrimental about rice coming from them as they are glad to cover up deficiencies for the good of the industry.

What I can't understand is, if the rice is as good as they claim and virtually free of any contamination then why is it rotting and why can't they sell it?

The price the government paid for it is much higher than the prices other countries sell at on the world market. So Thailand would have to convince potential customers that the increased quality of their rice is worth the price premium. Unfortunately nobody seems to be accepting this. There is plenty of lower priced rice available so there is no supply shortage to fill either. Thailand has to be careful of the WTO and dumping allegations if it lowers the price.

PTP set the price pledged to the farmers to encourage votes, although we can see it's not the farmers who have profited. PTP were arrogant enough to believe they could manipulate the world market prices which the can't.

Now they have high priced rice, with strong allegations of quality problems. That's why they can't sell. A poorly thought out policy, implemented with high levels of corruption and now completely out of hand. That's why they don't want to divulge the losses and identify the corrupt.

[techboy]

But it is delicious And my Doctor Stateside after a thorough and long overdue physical exam asked my what my diet is- because diet is strongly linked to being in prolonged good health. He happily said that his only advice was to fasten my seatbelt when I get into a car. (Yum- Pass me some more 'o dem droppings please, along with some prik nam plah) BTW- The international community does dig in an enjoy it. The talk about rice is nothing next to sausages and they have been getting slammed for years. Your perception of how the international community will respond is just that- your perception.

What they don't understand is that the international community is not as gullible as Thai's. They don't just accept that what they are told is fact and they need proof. Saying there a few weavels, rodent body parts and dropping in it is fine so dig in and enjo,y just doesn't cut it.

[Bagwan]

Whatever happened to the slogan "Good food, tasty food' or something like that?

[tomross46]

and found no toxins or chemicals

but then goes on to say ...

a small amount of methyl bromide and phosphine used in the production process was detected in the samples

and also ...

a small amount of animal fur, insect parts and live weevils were found in a very small part of the samples

so that's alright then, and absolutely clear, the poo-yais are in-charge and on-top-of-things and have spoken.

This must be some new definition of the words "no toxins or chemicals", which I'd previously not been aware of ?

Define HAZARDOUS.

[Thai at Heart]

But it is delicious And my Doctor Stateside after a thorough and long overdue physical exam asked my what my diet is- because diet is strongly linked to being in prolonged good health. He happily said that his only advice was to fasten my seatbelt when I get into a car. (Yum- Pass me some more 'o dem droppings please, along with some prik nam plah) BTW- The international community does dig in an enjoy it. The talk about rice is nothing next to sausages and they have been getting slammed for years. Your perception of how the international community will respond is just that- your perception.

What they don't understand is that the international community is not as gullible as Thai's. They don't just accept that what they are told is fact and they need proof. Saying there a few weavels, rodent body parts and dropping in it is fine so dig in and enjo,y just doesn't cut it.

The international buyers will do their own tests. If it doesn't pass, reject and pay for disposal for the supplier. I am sure the big players know the problems and the fact that someone is suing is not reassuring.

A few years ago a sample from China tested positive for GMO. 5 year embargo for exports to big MNCs.

Thing is the stuff has been shipped for years within safe limits. What have they done this year. Someone mentioned formalin. Very bad if that is the case.

[Soutpeel]

Define HAZARDOUS.

when your Mrs goes out and buys some ducks, puts them in the garden and purchases a new carving knife ?

[surangw]

what was The Public Health Ministry's cut of making this report?

[Bagwan]

Of course Thai rice isn't hazardous - until you eat it. A relative returned fromBuriram with several sacks of rice. She gave one to my Missus. When we opened it the stuff was alive with weevils. Herself said not to mind. She would eat it all herself. Over my dead body she would.

[tominbkk]

Of course Thai rice isn't hazardous - until you eat it. A relative returned fromBuriram with several sacks of rice. She gave one to my Missus. When we opened it the stuff was alive with weevils. Herself said not to mind. She would eat it all herself. Over my dead body she would.

I just threw up in my mouth a little.

[jalansanitwong]

They had to get the farang angle in didnt they! I eat alot of pasta here and have never found any insect (parts) or weevils.

The quality of local rice seems to be improving so maybe theyre trying to dump all the herpes rice on 3 rd world countries dumb enough to buy it. ( with our money no doubt )

[Ricardo]

Define HAZARDOUS.

Sufficiently contaminated to show up in random tests like these ones, generating bad-publicity and damaging the former reasonable-reputation of Thai rice, so that potential export-customers become unwilling to pay a 40% premium over normal world market-prices, perhaps ?

As in 'Hazardous to one's wealth' ?

Edited July 14, 2013 by Ricardo

[surangw]

Of course Thai rice isn't hazardous - until you eat it. A relative returned fromBuriram with several sacks of rice. She gave one to my Missus. When we opened it the stuff was alive with weevils. Herself said not to mind. She would eat it all herself. Over my dead body she would.

that why we rinse rice several times, the insect float to the top.

[ravip]

So, right on cue then. Didn't a relatively famous Thai newscaster mention contrary results regarding one of the major brands just a few days ago? Seems like they finished this testing real real quick.

On a separate note, I wonder why they publish these news stories in English. Surely they don't think foreigners here are so dumb as to believe that they have the public's best interest in mind? I'll be avoiding the rice until Western experts in the US, Canada or Europe or Japan or Korea publish their results.

"Surely they don't think foreigners here are so dumb as to believe that they have the public's best interest in mind? I'll be avoiding the rice until Western experts in the US, Canada or Europe or Japan or Korea publish their results".

Why on earth are you risking your life living in a country like this? Would you not be safer living in one of the countries that you trust?

Western experts in the US, Canada or Europe or Japan or Korea

[Thai at Heart]

I have a triple first from Oxford, captained wales at rugby, climbed Everest without oxygen, and swam the Atlantic.

Alas, I lost all the papers and no one saw me do it.

Can we see an independent test result please?