Nation
Monday May 18, 2015
PETALING
JAYA: The sacred bowl of rice that used to save lives could now be
harmful – and even deadly.
Plastic rice laced
with poisonous resin has reportedly reached the shores of several
Asian nations with the latest news circulating that it has entered
Singapore.
Health experts and
dieticians have warned that consuming such fake grains could be
lethal or seriously damage the digestive system.
The news of the
fake rice, commonly sold in Chinese markets, especially in Taiyuan
in Shaanxi province, have been circulating on popular social media
platforms such as WhatsApp and Facebook.
Minister
Datuk Seri Hasan Malek said the message, which had gone viral,
might be true or false but the ministry would not take such things
lightly.
“I, too, have
heard about the news. The news can be true or false; we don’t know
about it.
“We also don’t
know if the fake rice has landed in the country but we cannot take
such things lightly.
“We will carry out
investigations nationwide,” Hasan said yesterday.
The plastic rice,
reportedly made from potatoes, sweet potatoes, with synthetic resin
moulded into the shape of real rice, is said to have made its way
into countries with large rural population such as India,
Indonesia, Vietnam and lately, Singapore.
The rice is said
to stay hard after it has been cooked.
Hasan added that
the investigating team would focus on small sundry shops to check
whether they were selling the fake rice, especially in the
outskirts and rural areas.
“We will conduct
our investigations, but at the same time I would like to plead with
consumers to come forward and report to the ministry if they come
across such rice.
“All reports made
will be treated confidentially,” he said, adding that the ministry
would take action against errant traders.
Sources from the
rice industry said such rice would not be sold openly at
supermarkets and hypermarkets.
“If there is
existence of this rice in Malaysia, it would most likely be sold in
small shops,” one source said.
He also noted that
it would be hard for wholesalers to bring in the plastic rice
following strict regulations at the country’s entry
points.
“However, there
are possibilities that the plastic rice can be smuggled in through
the border states,” he said.
Smugglers can use
various methods to bring in the product as they know it would be
hard to detect if the plastic rice was to be mixed with normal
rice, he said.
When contacted,
National Heart Institute (IJN) chief dietitian Mary Easaw-John
said: “Some substances, such as plastic resin, are not meant to be
edible and in the long run will have negative implications on the
digestive system.”
Food adulteration
is a serious problem. About 300,000 people fell sick and at least
six infants died in 2008 when Chinese milk and infant formula was
found to be adulterated with melamine.
Later that year,
melamine was also discovered in Chinese eggs.