beware of the plastic rice circulating....

With the Federal Government’s announcement of imminent
famine next year coupled with Nigeria’s craze for imported
goods, experts have raised the alarm of possible flooding of
the Nigerian market with harmful ‘plastic rice.”
Since 2011, the world was alerted to the industrial
manufacture of rice by Chinese firms.
In a report by the Korean Times on the growing menace, the
newspaper said; “China famous for having all, making all,
has now been reported to have made rice out of plastic and
has distributed it.
“The Korean-language Weekly Hong Kong in Hong Kong
quoted Singapore media that “Fake rice made out of plastic
is massively sold on the Chinese market.”
“According to the report, some distributor

s are selling fake
rice in Taiyuan, Shaanxi Province, and this rice is a mixture
of potatoes, sweet potatoes and plastic.
“This ‘plastic rice’ is made by forming potatoes and sweet
potatoes into rice-like shape, then adding industrial
synthetic resins,” said a food expert. “Since the rice is
different from normal rice, it is hard like stone even when
cooked.
Moreover, the synthetic resin in it is very harmful to the
human body.”
One Chinese restaurant association official warns that eating
three bowls of ‘plastic rice’ is the same as eating one vinyl
bag. He added that since the rice is very dangerous there
would be strict investigation on the rice factory.
But Nigerians can determine if the rice they have is genuine
or not by following any of the simple tests:
The water test
Pour a tablespoon of raw rice into a glass filled with cold
water and mix vigorously. If the rice falls to the bottom of
the glass, everything is fine, if on the contrary it floats on the
surface, be vigilant, because it surely contains plastic!
The fire test
Using a lighter and a match, burn a handful of rice. If it
catches fire and smells of burnt plastic, you know what to
do! Do not eat it!
The mortar and pestle test
When molding a few grains of rice with a mortar and pestle,
the powder should be quite white. For artificial rice, you will
notice a yellow discoloration instead.
The mold test
If you want to be sure that you do not risk anything with
your cooked rice, put a small amount into a tupperware and
leave it in a warm place. In a few days, mold will have to
appear, otherwise it is that your rice is artificial.
This is how to get it right: is the rice you buy natural or
artificial? Show these diff tips to all your friends so they do
not take the risk of eating plastic.