Sri Lanka video showing rice as containing plastic is false: ministry

June 05, 2017 (LBO) - Sri Lanka's Ministry of Industry and Commerce says a Youtube video that has gone viral which shows cooked rice as containing plastic is false.

"The video shows that some basmati rice purchased from Pitakotte outlet of Lanka Sathosa not becoming 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, the (ball of) rice does not disintegrate," a statement said. "The Ministry of Industry and Commerce and Lanka Sathosa wish to stress that this is a false message spread to tarnish the image and brand name of Lanka Sathosa.

" The Basmati rice focused in this viral video is a variety of Basmati imported to Sri Lanka from Pakistan on 15 May, 2017 for Lanka Sathosa. Slight differences in glutinous texture were identified by Sathosa’s official Food Technology Analyst and consultant on Sunday when a sample of rice from Pitakotte Lanka Sathosa was subjected to a lab test. According to the analyst, the test showed this rice to be in perfect condition and edible though slightly glutinous in comparison to other Basmati varieties. "The Ministry and Lanka Sathosa also requests all news websites and social media users to refrain from re-sharing such false videos and news items."