Manila: A not-for-profit watchdog on Thursday warned against the proliferation of synthetic rice in the country, saying that these commodities contain resin which is also used in the manufacture of plastic.
In a statement, the EcoWaste Coalition said consumers should be wary of synthetic rice because these could seriously harm the digestive system.
Earlier, the National Food Authority bared the existence of a different type of cereal being sold in local markets, particularly in the Davao peninsula.
“Consumer awareness about this fraudulent trade in plastic-containing rice and caution when making purchases are necessary in order to protect the public from poison rice,” Thony Dizon, project coordinator of the EcoWaste Coalition, said.
Reports said some unscrupulous traders had imported these commodities illegally and are selling it in market stalls as common rice.
Rice is a staple on the Filipino table.
Dizon said errant traders must be made accountable because they compromise public safety.
“They should be prosecuted and punished to the full extent of the law,” he added.
Synthetic rice looks like normal cereal, but is different in some ways. According to reports, synthetic rice is made from potatoes and sweet potatoes and mixed with plastic industrial resin.
“Doctors and dietitians have warned that eating synthetic rice could be poisonous and seriously harm the digestive system,” Dizon said.
Authorities are wary that these synthetic rice be sold, not just in the local market, but in other countries as well because they are reportedly cheaper than the typical rice.
“Being a rice-eating nation of over 100 million people, it’s essential for the government and the industry to ensure that only rice stocks that have passed strict quality control are sold to consumers,” the EcoWaste Coalition said.
Earlier, National Food Authority Administrator (NFA) Renan Dalisay said they are still trying to confirm if the synthetic rice, reportedly from China, had indeed entered into the country in large quantities.
He said that in so far as the food authority is concerned, they have not issued any permit from traders to import these kind of synthetic cereals.
Dalisay said samples of alleged fake rice from Davao City have been brought to the NFA Food Development Centre in Taguig in Southern Metro Manila for testing.
News over the existence of fake rice had been making rounds in Asia since 2011; however, there has been no official report as to the validity of this issue. The governments of Indonesia and the Philippines have both denied its existence.
