Gov't says fake rice isolated in Davao

(Updated 4:49 a.m.) The government on Friday assured consumers that the incidence of fake rice being sold in markets remains isolated in Davao.

 

In a press briefing, the Office of the Presidential Assistant for Food Security and Agriculture (OPAFSA) said samples of fake rice reported outside Davao tested negative for dibutyl phthalate. 

 

"Dibutyl phthalate is used in making flexible plastics that are found in a variety of consumer products.  It appears to have relatively low acute (short-term) and chronic (long-term) toxicity," according to the US 

Environmental Protection Agency.

"There is no indication na merong ganitong klase ng bigas sa ibang lugar, but we will stay vigilant," Food Security chief Kiko Pangilinan said.

 

The National Food Authority (NFA) has monitored more than 50 cases of supposedly fake rice and continues to receive around 20 complaints a day, NFA Administrator Renan Dalisay said in the same briefing.

 

The agency will continue monitoring the products sold in markets, including the legitimate corn rice and iron-fortified rice, Dalisay added.

 

The human body can tolerate the chemical found in fake rice as long as the ingestion is of minimal amounts, said Health Undersecretary Kenneth Go.

Crackdown

 

While the problem of fake rice rages, prices of commercial rice remain stable in the local market.

 

"Ever since pumutok ang issue na ito, at dahil lean months, lagi naming binabantayan. So far I'm happy to announce na hindi naman tumataas ang presyo ng bigas sa merkado," Dalisay said.

 

High-quality commercial rice supposedly sells between P36 and P38 per kilogram while rice in harvesting regions go for as low as P31 per kg.

 

"Kung mayroon mang naapektuhan dito nang malaki dahil sa issue na ito ay ang National Food Authority, dahil everyday we have to respond 20 to 25 incidents," the NFA official said. 

 

The government has created an inter-agency committee to crackdown on fake rice.

 

The Department of Justice has taken the lead in investigating the possible sources of synthetic rice. Dalisay previously said the NFA was trying to find out whether fake rice found in Davao was locally produced . 

 

Additional laboratory tests on samples from Davao are being done as a joint effort of the NFA, Department of Health, Department of Science and Technology, Food and Drug Administration and Food Development Center. – VS, GMA News