The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has asked the public to disregard videos circulating on social media, the content of which is purported to be plastic rice, on the Ghanaian market.

The Authority in a statement noted that the content of videos circulated on social media are false.

FDA explained that “in 2017, the FDA based on these videos, investigated the claims and issued a press statement denying the existence of plastic rice. As part of that investigation, and through our nationwide market surveillance activities, the Authority obtained random samples and subsequently requested members of the public to assist our investigations by either submitting samples of the alleged plastic rice or giving information about where they could be found.”

This is a PLASTIC RICE please don't give the public available on government store pic.twitter.com/6uDZAkvku2

— Dauri Dashrath (@DashrathDauri) June 8, 2022

They added that “the samples received were subjected to laboratory analyses.” However, the “results from the analyses showed that all the samples were, in fact, authentic rice and not plastic as perceived by the public.”

“It is important to note that, the physical and chemical properties of plastics are such that they cannot be cooked into edible food. This is because plastic cannot absorb water and does not mix with water,” portions of the statement read.

FDA clarified that “The texture of each variety of rice depends on the nature of the starch content. Starch is mainly made up of amylose and amylopectin. The ratio of amylose to amylopectin determines the texture of rice. Amylopectin is responsible for the sticky nature of rice. This character of the starch in rice makes cooked rice grains stick together and allows it to be formed into a ball that can bounce off hard surfaces as depicted in some of the videos on social media. Amylose is responsible for the gummy nature of rice and therefore adds to the bouncy property of the rice when made into balls.”

Plastic rice" the system only design to get rid of us realtalk remember that!!
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— TonyFyaa (@FyaaThony) June 8, 2022

The FDA, therefore, assured the public that it “will continue to monitor the quality and safety of the varieties of rice on the market, both local and imported, to safeguard public health and safety.”