Govt urged to inspect rice for contamination
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Watchdog finds traces of Methyl Bromide in 34 samples, one of which exceeded FAO safe levels
A consumer watchdog is calling on the government to inspect packaged rice after random tests found several samples to be tainted with high levels of methyl bromide, which is used to kill rice-eating bugs.
Meanwhile, three state agencies – the Agriculture Department, the Medical Sciences Department and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) – said they found no contamination in tests they conducted earlier.
Saree Ongsomwang, secretary-general for the Foundation for Consumers, said her agency had teamed up with the Bio Thai Foundation to collect 46 random samples of packaged rice sold under 36 brands to test for chemical substances, including methyl bromide, organophosphate, carbamate compounds and fungicide.
All samples, collected between June 19 and 27 from supermarkets, retail shops and department stores, were tested at an independent laboratory.
Tests found that 12 of the 46 samples were free of contamination, but traces of methyl bromide were found in 34 samples, of which one sample was found to have exceeded the safe level with 67.4 milligram per kilogram of the chemical. As per the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) codex, levels of methyl bromide in food should not exceed 50mg per kg.
“We do not intend to damage anybody’s reputation. We just want to raise public awareness on the safety of packaged rice and urge related agencies to boost the standards,” Saree said.
Meanwhile, Niphon Popattanachai, director-general of the Medical Sciences Department, said he had instructed officials to inspect the brands found to have been contaminated and check if these products have been registered with the FDA.
“People should not panic over the report as the contamination is still within safe limits,” he said.
Previously, the department teamed up with the FDA to conduct tests on 54 samples of packaged rice and found very small traces of methyl bromide and no sign of any other related pesticides.
Separately, the Agriculture Department tested 10 brands of rice and found no contamination.
A representative of the packaged rice brand that was found to have high levels of methyl bromide said his firm would recall all tainted products from the market, but wanted the Foundation for Consumers to provide them with more details such as lot numbers. He said he would conduct further investigation.
“No related agencies have said anything about the health impacts of consuming rice with high levels of methyl bromide,” he said, adding that he was not thinking of filing a lawsuit against the foundation yet.
