Principal Secretary & Commissioner Food Safety, Amardeep Singh Bhatia IAS, on Monday 21st June, 2021 has issued a statement on the alleged plastic rice which was collected and sent for testing to the State Public Health Laboratory by Food Safety Officer, Dimapur. Commissioner Food Safety stated that, as per the Food Analyst report, the rice sample tested indicate presence of fortificants in the rice confirming the rice as fortified rice. Further, microscopic examination of rice kernels shows clusters of rice starch of oryza sativa species (natural rice origin) and do not show any form of adulterant (plastic) mixture as alleged in the viral video.

The tested rice sample as per the standardized parameters is within the prescribed limit under Regulation No.2.4.6: (24) of Food Safety and Standards (Food Products and Food Additives) Regulations 2011.

It may be informed that, Fortification of Food is Standardized and operationalized under Food Safety & Standards (Fortification of Foods) Regulations, 2017 and rice can be fortified using dusting, coating or extrusion technology where the milled broken rice is pulverized and mixed with vitamins and minerals resulting in fortified rice kernels ( Section 4.4 of Guidebook on Food Fortification, FSSAI)

Also, under Food Safety & Standards (Fortification of Foods) Regulations, 2017 Every package of fortified food shall carry the words "fortified with.....(name of the fortificant)" and the logo (Plus F) as specified in Schedule II of the Regulations on the label.

                                                                                                            (DIPR)