PM Yingluck affirms rice production process free of chemicals

[surangw]

whats the plan, find new places to plant rice.? ( since the arsenic residue has built up on the soil over they years)

[waza]

But Yingluck doesn't look too happy eating it......

[geriatrickid]

The government's position has been consistent in its statement that the rice does not have unsafe levels of chemicals,

This issue is a demonstration of what happens when rumours are circulated and then printed in newspapers as fact.

A study was released in the USA indicating that rice imports had unsafe levels of contaminants. Many countries were named . For example, Italian and Indian products were declared as having unsafe lead levels; Thai and Vietnamese rice as having unsafe arsenic levels. This study was done on a small sample and has not been repeated. It is not considered to be scientifically reliable. (That doesn't mean that the issue raised isn't important or valid.)

From this, the rumors grew. In an attempt to address the potential damage to the rice export industry, the Thai Ministry of Health undertook additional verification of rice exports to the US market. Out of this initiative came the Thai Rath and Nation stories that all rice from Thailand at the Los Amgeles port of entry into the USA was being seized and held for inspection because of chemical residues. Thai Rath has since backed down from its claim, but the Nation and Manager continue with stories claiming unsafe residues. Both the Nation and the Manager, seem to get a collective hard on whenever they have a chance to embarrass the government.

To those of you that claim with certainty that there are unsafe chemical residues, I have one question. How come no one has been able to prove the claim? Seriously, why haven't the people making the allegations undertaken some basic sampling and shown the results?

The reality is that the chemical residues on Thai rice fall within the acceptable export standards. This doesn't mean that this is "acceptable" as the goal should be no residues. Unfortunately, all food that we consume is tainted by chemical residues, even organically grown produce. Our drinking water has trace elements of heavy metals and chemicals and so does the air that we breath.

My point is that while there is no doubt there are chemical residues on Thai rice, the residues, based upon the Thai government testing and validated by foreign sampling by health safety agencies from diverse countries in the EU, USA and Australia, are within the current acceptable levels and are hence classified as free from unsafe chemical contaminants. There will always be cases of contaminated grains and sometimes they enter the food distribution system. This doesn't mean that the entire food system from growing to milling to distribution is unsafe.

If you really want to focus on the issue, look at what happens to food exports turned back from western countries. They are not destroyed but are returned to the exporters who often in turn will dump them into other markets where there is no vigilance such as the Middle East or Africa. Thailand does have a problem with the overuse and misuse of fertilizers and pesticides, but this problem is common with all countries that use the products.

It is a serious issue and the current politically motivated hysteria will not help solve the problem of overuse and misuse.

Edited July 20, 2013 by geriatrickid

[annabel]

Ms Yingluck, who visited the Ayutthaya rice factory of CP Group's International Trading Business Group which manufactures and distributes 'Royal Umbrella Rice', said that she has observed rice production processes here--from milling to storage to inspections to packaging to transporting--and can guarantee that Thai rice is safe and meets all safety and quality standard.

After visiting a carefully selected single factory she makes a bold statement about Thai rice in general. With more and more contaminated rice appearing she actually should know that it is sheer folly to make such a blanket statement at this time.

But it shows nicely why Thaksin picked her as proxy PM.

"""she has observed rice production processes here--from milling to storage to inspections to packaging to transporting--and can guarantee that Thai rice is safe and meets all safety and quality standard....""""

How many days did she spend there ....??I didn't realize that this whole rice processing thing took only 20 minutes ...???... Lightning speed this woman is ...!!!

Edited July 20, 2013 by annabel

[annabel]

PM affirms rice production process free of chemicals

"okay, problem solved, bye bye,.... I gotta go shopping overseas now,..."

What is wrong with Thais ....?? How can they gobble down all this shit without even blinking an eye !!! it's just so scary ! Lambs... they are all gullible lambs !! controlled and totally brain washed and the Shin's are so taking advantage of this and progressing more and more in making more lambs.... Pffffffffffffff... Fountainhead happening !

[Halion]

Actually its extremely reassuring that after stringent personal testing in front of the nations media the independent laboratory of Yingluck has been able to state with complete confidence that all Thai rice is free of chemicals.

Think I'll go down the market and get some salad for dinner.

Better check with the Europeans first before you buy your salad. There has been several instances where Thai grown vegtable produce has been banned from import from Thailand for excessive chemical residues.

[boomerangutang]

I suppose it is possible that the rice production process could be chemical free, but it is what they do to the rice after it is processed.

After not being able to sell the rice for a year or two, they have to repeatedly spray chemicals on the stockpiles and underneath what it is sitting on, to kill all of the various pests that want to eat the rice.

Take that, and add in the dangers from all of the low quality, un-regulated rice, smuggled in from neighbouring countries, and mixed in with the thai rice, and it would be next to impossible to declare

that Thai Rice is absolutely safe to consume (with a straight face) anyway.

whats the plan, find new places to plant rice.? ( since the arsenic residue has built up on the soil over they years)

....and when it's time to cook the starch oops, I mean rice, they ladle on MSG by the tablespoonfull.

[Thai at Heart]

The government's position has been consistent in its statement that the rice does not have unsafe levels of chemicals,

This issue is a demonstration of what happens when rumours are circulated and then printed in newspapers as fact.

A study was released in the USA indicating that rice imports had unsafe levels of contaminants. Many countries were named . For example, Italian and Indian products were declared as having unsafe lead levels; Thai and Vietnamese rice as having unsafe arsenic levels. This study was done on a small sample and has not been repeated. It is not considered to be scientifically reliable. (That doesn't mean that the issue raised isn't important or valid.)

From this, the rumors grew. In an attempt to address the potential damage to the rice export industry, the Thai Ministry of Health undertook additional verification of rice exports to the US market. Out of this initiative came the Thai Rath and Nation stories that all rice from Thailand at the Los Amgeles port of entry into the USA was being seized and held for inspection because of chemical residues. Thai Rath has since backed down from its claim, but the Nation and Manager continue with stories claiming unsafe residues. Both the Nation and the Manager, seem to get a collective hard on whenever they have a chance to embarrass the government.

To those of you that claim with certainty that there are unsafe chemical residues, I have one question. How come no one has been able to prove the claim? Seriously, why haven't the people making the allegations undertaken some basic sampling and shown the results?

The reality is that the chemical residues on Thai rice fall within the acceptable export standards. This doesn't mean that this is "acceptable" as the goal should be no residues. Unfortunately, all food that we consume is tainted by chemical residues, even organically grown produce. Our drinking water has trace elements of heavy metals and chemicals and so does the air that we breath.

My point is that while there is no doubt there are chemical residues on Thai rice, the residues, based upon the Thai government testing and validated by foreign sampling by health safety agencies from diverse countries in the EU, USA and Australia, are within the current acceptable levels and are hence classified as free from unsafe chemical contaminants. There will always be cases of contaminated grains and sometimes they enter the food distribution system. This doesn't mean that the entire food system from growing to milling to distribution is unsafe.

If you really want to focus on the issue, look at what happens to food exports turned back from western countries. They are not destroyed but are returned to the exporters who often in turn will dump them into other markets where there is no vigilance such as the Middle East or Africa. Thailand does have a problem with the overuse and misuse of fertilizers and pesticides, but this problem is common with all countries that use the products.

It is a serious issue and the current politically motivated hysteria will not help solve the problem of overuse and misuse.

One brand was over limit. the issue is she keeps getting quoted as saying, there are NO residues which is untrue.

There are few brands with excessive residues is the issue. So we go from there is no issue to it is safe, to it is unsafe. I think maybe she doesn't understand that it is possible to have a safe amount of chemicals.

If not, why does she keep saying there are none?

[bushwacker]

Good to know that the independent study from independent labs which found the chemical problem were wrong! Now I feel better.

[Thai at Heart]

Technically she's right.

Methyl bromide contamination doesn't happen during processing, it happens during storage.

[geriatrickid]

Good to know that the independent study from independent labs which found the chemical problem were wrong! Now I feel better.

Well, there were not any independent labs that found a "chemical problem".

Would you be kind enough to provide a reference or a published citation if there was one?

One of the problems facing Thailand is the illegal entry of rice from Cambodia, a country which has less stringent agricultural standards than Thailand.

[Thai at Heart]

Good to know that the independent study from independent labs which found the chemical problem were wrong! Now I feel better.

Well, there were not any independent labs that found a "chemical problem".

Would you be kind enough to provide a reference or a published citation if there was one?

One of the problems facing Thailand is the illegal entry of rice from Cambodia, a country which has less stringent agricultural standards than Thailand.

If this piddly amount is enough to have distorted the results from the Thai figures, the Cambodian stuff must have been dripping wet with chemicals.

[geriatrickid]

Technically she's right.

Methyl bromide contamination doesn't happen during processing, it happens during storage.

Consumers Foundation of Thailand published its results in its magazine Chaladsue last week.

Only one brand - CoCo Pimpa white rice - had methyl bromide residue above the 50ml international standard under the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex). Its test showed of 67.4mg/kg. Not a crisis in that respect. What it does highlight is that CoCo Pimpa may not be following the guidelines for checking product, or someone may have screwed up.

[geriatrickid]

Good to know that the independent study from independent labs which found the chemical problem were wrong! Now I feel better.

Well, there were not any independent labs that found a "chemical problem".

Would you be kind enough to provide a reference or a published citation if there was one?

One of the problems facing Thailand is the illegal entry of rice from Cambodia, a country which has less stringent agricultural standards than Thailand.

If this piddly amount is enough to have distorted the results from the Thai figures, the Cambodian stuff must have been dripping wet with chemicals.

Well, the results with the exception of one brand met the international standards.

[Thai at Heart]

Technically she's right.

Methyl bromide contamination doesn't happen during processing, it happens during storage.

Consumers Foundation of Thailand published its results in its magazine Chaladsue last week.

Only one brand - CoCo Pimpa white rice - had methyl bromide residue above the 50ml international standard under the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex). Its test showed of 67.4mg/kg. Not a crisis in that respect. What it does highlight is that CoCo Pimpa may not be following the guidelines for checking product, or someone may have screwed up.

They all had some residues that come from fumigation. The more often it us fumigated the more the residue.

So, these numbers will keep climbing every 6 months or so, when it is fumigated.

[ginjag]

Ms Yingluck, who visited the Ayutthaya rice factory of CP Group's International Trading Business Group which manufactures and distributes 'Royal Umbrella Rice', said that she has observed rice production processes here--from milling to storage to inspections to packaging to transporting--and can guarantee that Thai rice is safe and meets all safety and quality standard.

After visiting a carefully selected single factory she makes a bold statement about Thai rice in general. With more and more contaminated rice appearing she actually should know that it is sheer folly to make such a blanket statement at this time.

But it shows nicely why Thaksin picked her as proxy PM.

"""she has observed rice production processes here--from milling to storage to inspections to packaging to transporting--and can guarantee that Thai rice is safe and meets all safety and quality standard....""""

How many days did she spend there ....??I didn't realize that this whole rice processing thing took only 20 minutes ...???... Lightning speed this woman is ...!!!

You have to understand that it has to fit between shopping and trips abroad.

[Thai at Heart]

Good to know that the independent study from independent labs which found the chemical problem were wrong! Now I feel better.

Well, there were not any independent labs that found a "chemical problem".

Would you be kind enough to provide a reference or a published citation if there was one?

One of the problems facing Thailand is the illegal entry of rice from Cambodia, a country which has less stringent agricultural standards than Thailand.

If this piddly amount is enough to have distorted the results from the Thai figures, the Cambodian stuff must have been dripping wet with chemicals.

Well, the results with the exception of one brand met the international standards.

Never said different. I think possibly the domestic stuff was always consumed very rapidly so the residues were very low. Now it is on storage for so long, the residues are higher than normal. But still in limits.

That said, it was generic white rice that was very high. The higher quality hom Mali was lower. There are only a few million tons of him Mali in total.

So, they need to start sampling the warehouses and check how many fumigations have been done in the warehouse. The majority of Thai rice is white rice, not high price hom Mali.

[annabel]

Good to know that the independent study from independent labs which found the chemical problem were wrong! Now I feel better.

Yup! Yup! Yup! and how much did the silence of the lambs cost in this case ???? Oye.. Thaksi's Bahts will be flying away even more in the next few months to get this under control ....... POOR GUY!!

[annabel]

But what about this, posted on TV today.................... ?

Independent watchdog 'necessary'

Pongphon Sarnsamak

The Nation

Foundation reminds govt of provision in charter for consumer protection bodies

BANGKOK: -- The Foundation for Consumers yesterday called on the government to set up an independent consumer protection organisation following the discovery of packed rice contaminated with the pesticide methyl bromide.

Yup well Thailand has always and ,more recently with the PT, have proven and excelled at how beneficial it is to build Pyramids and then more Pyramids over other Pyramids in every possible field of business to reach sustainable growth ..

[Thaddeus]

Well, the results with the exception of one brand met the international standards.

One brand that was tested didn't, do you not think that there may have just been a little bit of chicanery going on,

The correct answer only has three letters, and one of them isn't an 'n'