News Forum - Would you eat 10 year old rice? Activist demands court intervention

[Thaiger]

Prominent solo activist Srisuwan Janya approached the Central Administrative Court, seeking an urgent suspension of the Commerce Ministry’s plan to auction off approximately 15,000 tonnes of rice from the scandal-tainted rice pledging scheme of the Yingluck Shinawatra government. In his court petition, Srisuwan highlighted the concerns of numerous rice experts who oppose the auction. They … …

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[MrStretch]

I wouldn't eat this rice, feed it to the chickens, grind it up for livestock meal, compost or feed it to the fish.

It should be embarrassing for this government to be doing this, but they really don't have much shame when it comes to resurrecting the old guard of their political party.

[Ramanathan.P]

Better sell it to distillers...

[Vigo]

The rice may have retained its integrity over time since it is a seed. However, I too don't think it is fit for anything other than animal or fish feed. My concern is if they sell the rice without indicating its age. Consumers have a right to know if they are eating old rice. If they don't do this, they will destroy consumer confidence in Thai rice. Foreign markets won't touch it when they have the option of purchasing better quality competitively priced Indian, Cambodian or Vietnamese rice.

[LeReynard]

On 6/1/2024 at 5:44 AM, Vigo said:

The rice may have retained its integrity over time since it is a seed. However, I too don't think it is fit for anything other than animal or fish feed. 

 

On 6/1/2024 at 4:29 AM, MrStretch said:

I wouldn't eat this rice, feed it to the chickens, grind it up for livestock meal, compost or feed it to the fish.

Don't forget it would go back into the food chain, anyway. If it's risky at alk, it ought not to enter the food chain up to man.

[MrStretch]

3 hours ago, LeReynard said:

Don't forget it would go back into the food chain, anyway. If it's risky at alk, it ought not to enter the food chain up to man.

Which is exactly why I wouldn't partake of it or allow it into my food chain, if I had the choice.

[BainaiThai]

Bidders will have the opportunity to inspect the rice quality, adhering to standards defined by the Commerce Ministry, said Phumtham.

CAVEAT EMPTOR

 

[Vigo]

Unless the  rice is contaminated with heavy metals or pesticide, it doesn't matter if it enters the food chain.  Rice if stored properly has been shown to be good for 25-30 years. Rich is mostly starch and it is very stable if stored in a dry environment. Thailand's better rice warehouses have humidity controls. If the rice  was allowed to get damp or not stored properly, there may be mold or fungus. Appropriate sampling and inspection can easily ascertain the state of any rice batch. The only reason I suggested  animal feed is because consumers are conditioned to believe that rice older than 2 years isn't any good, which is just not true.

 

[Khunmark]

57 minutes ago, Vigo said:

Unless the  rice is contaminated with heavy metals or pesticide, it doesn't matter if it enters the food chain.  Rice if stored properly has been shown to be good for 25-30 years. Rich is mostly starch and it is very stable if stored in a dry environment. Thailand's better rice warehouses have humidity controls. If the rice  was allowed to get damp or not stored properly, there may be mold or fungus. Appropriate sampling and inspection can easily ascertain the state of any rice batch. The only reason I suggested  animal feed is because consumers are conditioned to believe that rice older than 2 years isn't any good, which is just not true.

You raise some good points. I would add that rice undergoes a fumigation process every 2 months while in storage, which means this rice has been subjected to significantly more fumigation than most batches of rice.  The extra fumigation may have not have effected the integrity of the rice, but perception is king here.

By entertaining the idea of selling the rice in question on the open market, the entire export market for rice from Thailand has invoked a crisis of confidence. Africa has already expressed concern that any future rice imports from Thailand might be tainted by the warehoused batch. And are looking to cancel agreements accordingly.