Hyderabad: For almost a decade now rumours have persisted of ‘plastic rice’ being supplied from China, but the scientific community which has carried out research into the alleged ‘plastic rice’ have concluded that there is no such thing.
Social media began spreading this news in India and the Kerala media broadcast a series of reports with demonstrations of cooking the rice to prove it was plastic by burning the layer formed on the cooked rice. Based on directions given by the Kerala government, some institutions did research that proved that the rice samples did not consist of plastic, polymer or polyvinyl.
Senior scientist with the National Institute of Nutrition (NIN) V. Sudarshan said that plastic is not biodegradable and the digestive system of humans does not tolerate it. “There is no way of consuming plastic. The reports spreading over social media on plastic rice are false. There is no way you can manufacture rice with plastic,” he said.
Following a series of complaints to the police, the Telangana civil supplies department tested samples of rice and announced that no plastic element had been found but the samples would be sent to the state food controlling unit for further chemical tests.
The Nigerian government also released research reports on ‘plastic rice’ on December 24, 2016, which also held that the rice was not plastic.
Internet stormed with rice rumours
The rumours of ‘plastic rice’ from China being sold in India began circulating on the internet seven years ago. Videos showing what happened to such rice when it was cooked attracted attention. It turned out that plastic rice grains were made for demonstrati
