THE National Food Authority (NFA) assured the public on Friday, June 23, that there is no proof that fake rice is being sold in the Philippine market.
It said that based on laboratory tests conducted by the agency's Food Development Center (FDC), the suspected fake rice have starch granules, starch content and sensory characteristics typical of raw rice.
The FDC conducted three laboratory analyses on six raw and two cooked rice samples submitted using microscopic analysis, starch analysis, and sensory evaluation to test if these contain harmful chemicals.
The report about the alleged fake rice came out after a certain Rafael Furo posted a video on social media and claimed that the rice he purchased in a market in Taguig City was plastic.
NFA said it verified the report and collected rice samples for laboratory analysis.
Aside from Taguig, the agency said its team also collected rice samples in Litex Market in Commonwealth, Quezon City, following similar complaint.
NFA said its field offices in Borongan, Samar, Dumaguete and Cebu have also sent rice samples for testing to FDC after receiving complaints from consumers.
But NFA Administrator Jason Aquino urged the public to be more vigilant and report to the agency any suspicious or unusual rice being sold in the markets, so they can verify and take samples for laboratory analyses.
He also warned those who intentionally spread wrong information about plastic or fake rice, saying it is "punishable by law."
NFA recalled that two years ago, there was a report on alleged fake rice in Davao City. But laboratory tests showed that the strange appearance of the alleged fake rice was only due to a "retrogradation process" involving a series of freezing, thawing, and heating. Retrograded rice can be termed as "stale rice" or "panis na kanin," NFA said.
The same rice sample was also found to be contaminated with a plasticizer chemical compound called dibutyl phthalate probably due to mishandling, said the NFA, adding that it was an "isolated case." (SDR/VoxPop Philippines)