NAFDAC - Plastic Rice Not Plasticized, But Unsafe For Consumption

The National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has confirmed that the 102 bags of rice seized by Customs operatives earlier this month is unsatisfactory for human consumption due to contamination by microorganisms even as they have clarified that they are not plasticized.

The NAFDAC Acting Director-General, Mrs Yetude Oni made this confirmation at a joint press briefing with the Nigeria Customs Service in Abuja yesterday after carrying out laboratory tests on samples of rice seized by Customs officials in Lagos.
According to her, “The product is not plastic but rice contaminated with microorganisms above permissible limit, hence the seized rice consignment is unsatisfactory and therefore unwholesome for human consumption.”

The Acting DG further provided the full report of the laboratory test carried out:
i. Floating – Negative
ii. Sedimentation – Positive
iii. Cooking. – Normal
iv. Odour. – Normal
v. Colour. – Off-white grains
vi. Moisture. – 13% (within specification)
vii. Pre-ashing. – Normal
viii. Ash. – 0.6% (within specification)
ix. Lead and Cadmium – Not detected
x. Aerobic mesophillic count – 2.8×105 cfu (above maximum
limits)
xi. Mould – 5.1×103 cfu – (within
specification)
xii. Coli form – 7.5×103 cfu (above maximum
limits)
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