Consumers warned to buy rice only from legit stores

CEBU, Philippines - Consumers are told to buy rice only from legitimate stores amid the issue on fake rice which has caught the public's attention and is reportedly to have existed in some parts of the country.

However, the National Food Authority in Central Visayas (NFA-7) has assured there is no existence of the alleged synthetic rice in the region specifically in Cebu.

Mary Agnes Militante, NFA regional information officer, told consumers to be wary in buying rice especially in public markets, advising them to buy only from accredited retailers.

To be sure, she said, the public may choose to buy in supermarkets and big grocery stores which are unlikely to trade fake commodities.

She noted the NFA regional office recently received three complaints from consumers in Talamban in Cebu City and Mandaue City and one from the National Bureau of Investigation.

NFA-7 already sent the samples of the alleged fake rice from those three sources to its national office for chemical tests to know whether those are really fake.

Although NFA-7 already had physical and sensory examination of the reported "plastic rice", Militante explained that the samples had to be subjected to scientific testing to come up with conclusive results.

Militante said results will be out anytime soon.

Several retailers and even the Grain Retailers Confederation (Grecon) in Cebu are helping the agency in terms of being vigilant as the "fake scare" has somehow affected their sales already, she also said. 

Earlier, the Bureau of Customs (BoC) Port of Cebu said it was looking into the fake rice issue and was making sure the alleged synthetic rice would not be able to enter the Cebu market.

An inter-agency committee has already been formed to act on the fake rice controversy.

In a statement, NFA Administrator Renan Dalisay said he had instructed the agency's field offices nationwide to intensify post market inspections to ensure that this has not proliferated in the market. — Carlo S. Lorenciana (FREEMAN)