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Monday, 5 June 2017 00:01 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
A YouTube video showing cooked white basmati rice as plastic rice from Lanka Sathosa has gone viral since 3 June.
The video shows that a quantity of basmati rice purchased from a Pitakotte outlet of Lanka Sathosa did not go stale (like other Basmati rice varieties) even after 24 hours of cooking it, and when a ball of such cooked rice is dropped on the floor it does not disintegrate neither do the rice grains fall away as expected but stay glued together, creating speculation that this rice is possibly mixed with harmful plastic particles.
The Ministry of Industry and Commerce and Lanka Sathosa said that this was a false message spread to tarnish the image and brand name of Lanka Sathosa.
The Basmati rice in the video was a variety of Basmati imported to Sri Lanka from Pakistan on 15 May 2017 for Lanka Sathosa.
The total imported consignment was 20 metric tonnes. The label this rice is sold under is ‘Imported Basmati Rice’.
This rice is still in very good condition even now and is fit for consumption, the Ministry and Lanka Sathosa said.
It has the same well-known Basmati size, smell and flavour when cooked, with a minute difference which led to the false “plastic rice” claims.
This minute difference was identified by SATHOSA’s official Food Technology Analyst and Consultant yesterday when a sample of rice from the Pitakotte Lanka Sathosa was subjected to a lab test.
According to Analyst Anurashantha, the test showed this rice to be in perfect condition and edible though slightly glutinous in comparison to other Basmati varieties.
The rice was found to be similar in all aspects to Basmati rice except for the slightly glutinous nature. No plastic particles were detected.
It is this slightly glutinous nature that keeps the rice grains stuck together when the rice ball was dropped in the viral video, the Ministry and Lanka Sathosa asserted.
The Ministry and Lanka Sathosa stated that there was no truth to the theory that there were plastic particles in this or any variety of rice sold by Lanka Sathosa, and believe such viral videos and news items are aimed at tarnishing the image and brand of Lanka Sathosa.
Since no defects are seen, it has been decided that Lanka Sathosa will continue to sell this ‘Imported Basmati Rice’ as usual.
The Ministry and Lanka Sathosa also requested all news websites and social media users to refrain from sharing such videos and news items.
