Published on: Sunday, February 03, 2013 |
The relevant authorities have been urged to ensure the practice, if found to be true, is stopped as there is a high possibility of these small sachets ending up being cooked together with the rice or their contents mixing with the rice when the sachet is torn or broken.
Member of Parliament Datuk Chua Soon Bui said two complainants had reported the matter to her and feared that with rice being consumed daily, any delay could result in a high possibility of mass food poisoning.
"I brought one of the 10kg rice packs to the Federal Health office and, together with an officer and the complainant, we sifted through the rice grain and found a number of silica gel sachets inside the half consumed rice pack," she said on the rice bought by one Anthony Shim recently.
Chua said that the visit to the Health office was about a week ago and no action was done until today.
She claimed Shim had consumed the rice halfway before noticing the gels.
As for another complainant, Chua said the person had the rice pack replaced.
'With these two cases, I can clearly say that this is not an isolated case and packager should be held responsible for putting poison into food regardless of whether it was unintentional," she stressed.
Chua said the Standard Operating Procedure of Sabahrice should be scrutinised and necessary action taken to address the matter.
She also urged members of the public who find such gel in their purchased rice packs to report to her office or the Health office.
