Police on Wednesday in Kathmandu arrested a trader for allegedly selling ‘plastic’ rice.
According to Metropolitan Police Range, Kathmandu, Tanka Prasad Sherchan of Sano Bharyang-based Sherchan Brother Pvt Ltd was arrested for further investigation after the rice of RTC brand bought by Swoymabhu police was found to be suspicious.
Police said they would send the rice sample to food lab for examination.
Is ‘plastic rice’ for real?
The term ‘plastic rice’ first surfaced in China in 2010. Dubbed the Wuchang rice scandal, Chinese officials unearthed a scam by companies who passed off ordinary rice as premium Wuchang rice by adding flavours to it. The Wuchang rice, known for its unique aroma, is exported to various nations. Chinese traders are believed to have made a huge profit through this scam.
In 2011, a report by The Korea Timessaid: “Some distributors are selling fake rice in Taiyuan, Shaanxi Province, and this rice is a mixture of potatoes, sweet potatoes and plastic.” Needless to say, the report mentioned in detail the hazards of eating synthetic resin. Thus the term ‘plastic rice’ came into existence.
The BBC, last December, reported that a huge shipment of ‘plastic rice’ was seized in Nigeria, making it the first major confiscation. Days later, Nigeria ruled out plastic in the confiscated shipment. “The rice was contaminated with bacteria,” Nigeria’s National Agency For Food and Drugs said.
Apart from these two reports, the mainstream media doesn’t have much information on ‘plastic rice’. But the web is flooded with information ranging from YouTube videos on how it is manufactured to “Ways to spot a fake rice.” And the social media too is cluttered with forwards on the “Chinese conspiracy” behind dumping ‘plastic rice’.