Rice is Plastic Free

[geovalin]

A week after the Agriculture Ministry announced it was testing rice samples in response to renewed online claims of rice containing plastic, the ministry announced that all tests had proven negative for plastic.   According to a statement issued on Thursday, the three-stage testing of milled rice samples from markets in Phnom Penh – appearance, protein analysis and nitric digestion – conducted at the National Agricultural Laboratory at the ministry, in partnership with the Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF) found that all samples were 100 percent rice.
 

“The samples of milled rice provided by the Cambodia Rice Federation did not find any presence of plastic,” the statement read. “Please inform the public of this announcement.” Stories about plastic rice being sold in Cambodia first surfaced last July, after a local reporter claimed to have been told about adulterated rice by a rice broker, and subsequently cooked some for his family, in which they claimed the rice appeared to be plastic, and smelled and tasted odd.
 

This followed reports from Thailand and Indonesia in May, in which similar claims were made. Investigating authorities concluded that contaminated Chinese rice was to blame. Hean Vanhan, secretary of state at the Agriculture Ministry said yesterday that the testing was on both local and imported milled rice that had been said to contain plastic.

 

read more http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/31710/rice-is-plastic-free/

 

 

-- © Copyright Phenom Pen Post 07/11

[Songlaw]

Well, I'm just brimming with confidence now. For <deleted>'s sake, they've even 'synthesized' eggs, replete with passable shells. I just can't wait for whatever is 'unveiled' next. 

[puipuitom]

Working in the international food trade since 1977 my first step is always: in how far I trust the supplier('s chain) ?

Second: I insist for a risk assesment: which (theoretical) dangers are possible, what is done in the processing to bring these dangers back to acceptable hazards, what is the chance of still occurring and.. how large that impact is to (the health of ) the consumer. A piece of plastic in .. the rice gives a less impact than a piece of wood, and that again less as a piece of metal or glass.

Third: Any lab tests to support the above analyses ? And then NOT a 2x/year, based on 1-2 samples, without any info how many lab tests failed before the finally one acceptable which is presented. ( 24 previous tests failed, and finally nr 25... by coincidence... happy... is  o.k. ? ? )

An important side-effect is, it gives an idea about the food safety skills of the supplier.

Sorry to say, but... I did not meet even one Thai supplier being able to make such a  complete and thorough risk assessment / hazard analyses.

 

The last question is: which adulterations are possible for which the costs are lower as the results.

Sorry, but plastic imitation rice grain will cost more as the real stuff. So, why anyone will spend more to fake real natural rice ? ( think of density, so afloat or sink in water, colour, reflection, shape, ...)