KUALA LUMPUR: The Health Ministry said yesterday Malaysia does not import fake rice as alleged in a recent social media report that went viral.
Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said this had been verified by Padiberas Nasional Berhad (Bernas).
Furthermore, monitoring by the ministry found that the three brands of rice said to have been produced from plastic were not sold in the country, he said in a statement.
“As notified via a health ministry press statement dated May 21, 2015, the rice Malaysia imports is usually from Vietnam, Thailand and Pakistan, as disclosed by Bernas.
“According to Bernas, the rice is imported in bulk and then packed in this country in various sizes,” he said.
The statement said it was needless for the people to worry because food safety monitoring and enforcement were conducted constantly to ensure that food in the market was safe for consumption.
However consumers can lodge complaints with the ministry if they have doubts about the safety status of any food in the market. Their complaints can be sent through district health offices or state health departments.
They can also lodge their complaints on the website http://moh.spab.gov.my or the Food Safety and Quality Division at www.facebook.com/bkkmhq.
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