Plastic rice scare hits Ashanti Region

The police in the Ashanti Region has commenced investigations into reports that a food vendor at Suame in the region has been selling plastic rice.

The accused was invited by police and later released on Monday, October 23.

It will be recalled that suspicions of plastic rice being sold on Ghanaian markets was dispelled by the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) about four months ago.

Ashanti Regional Principal Regulatory Officer of the FDA, Nora Narkie Teye-Larbi, insists “there is no plastic rice on the market in Ghana or in Ashanti Region for that matter”.

She explained that the last time they received such reports was three months ago, and after several tests, it proved to be negative.

“We have received only one report about three months ago of the possibility of a product being plastic rice. We discounted that because, at the time, together with the police investigator, we did flotation, iodine, burning tests,” she explained.

She however indicated that no report has been made to the office yet in relation to the latest development, and as at the time she was speaking, the FDA had not identified any plastic rice in the region.

“The police have not come to the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) in the Ashanti Region with any sample. We are waiting on them, probably they are preparing themselves to bring those samples but as of now, no!” she told Luv FM’s Ohemeng Tawiah on Friday, October 27.