THURSDAY, March 28, 2024
nationthailand

Indonesia gripped by plastic rice scare

Indonesia gripped by plastic rice scare

A scare over rice contaminated with plastic grains has gripped Indonesia as officials in provinces from Aceh to South Sulawesi and across populous Java conduct checks on rice samples, prompting president Joko Widodo to call for calm.

 
"The rice samples are being tested (in the laboratories). So, before the results are out, let's not amplify the issue," he told reporters during a visit to his hometown of Solo over the weekend.
 
"The most important thing is, what is the root cause of this? We need a thorough check. Is it only in Bekasi or elsewhere? What is the motivation?" he added.
 
He was referring to rice samples that were collected from a stallholder in Bekasi, a west Java satellite town on the eastern outskirts of Jakarta, and then tested.
 
One lab test showed traces of the synthetic plastic polymer, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), which is used to make a wide range of products, including bottles and pipes.
 
The stallholder had suspected something was amiss when she and her customers suffered an upset stomach and giddiness.
 
In another case, this time in Medan, North Sumatra, a girl fell ill after she reportedly ate rice that contained the plastic.
 
Indonesia boasts the world's largest per capita rice consumption at 140kg of rice per person per year.
RELATED
nationthailand