FDA dismisses plastic rice on Ghanaian market claims

The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) is urging Ghanaians to disregard videos circulating on social media about the existence of plastic rice in the Ghanaian market.

The Authority in a statement dated Thursday, June 9, 2022, refuted the claims and pointed out that “the videos on the alleged plastic rice are false and must be ignored.”

According to the FDA, similar claims were made in 2017, leading to their nationwide market surveillance activities. Accordingly, they gathered random samples which were subjected to laboratory tests, but the results proved not to be plastic rice. 

“Results from the analyses showed that all the samples were in fact authentic rice and not plastic as perceived by the public,”

“It is important to note that, the physical and chemical properties of plastics are such that they cannot be cooked into edible food. This is because plastic cannot absorb water and does not mix with water” FDA said in a portion of the statement.

It emphasised that the texture of each variety of rice depends on the nature of the starch content since starch is mainly made up of amylose and amylopectin.

“The ratio of amylose to amylopectin determines the texture of rice. Amylopectin is responsible for the sticky nature of rice. This character of the starch in rice makes cooked rice grains stick together and allows it to be formed into a ball that can bounce off hard surfaces as depicted in some of the videos on social media,”

“Amylose is responsible for the gummy nature of rice and therefore adds to the bouncy property of the rice when made into balls” the FDA explained.

The Authority is therefore assuring the general public of their continuity to monitor the quality and safety of the varieties of rice on the market, both local and imported, to safeguard public health and safety.

Below is the full statement