Belman: Shining plastic rice found at ration store

Karkala: Shining plastic rice was found in the rice that was meant for distributing among ration cardholders in Belman taluk.

Enraged after finding the plastic rice, the villagers brought the matter to the notice of officials and local panchayat.

Following the complaint received from the locals, the concerned officers have assured an inquiry into the matter.

Meanwhile, the consumers who have already collected their monthly quota have been asked to return the same to the respective shop.

Plastic rice is made of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic compounds that are being used on a large scale for the production of various products.

Plastic is extremely dangerous for human health, and plastic rice has a shine to them that is not seen in normal rice

Here are some tips to identify plastic rice:

* While it is difficult to differentiate between real and fake or plastic rice by simply looking at them, there are other techniques that can help in checking the rice quality. The easiest way to identify plastic rice from real rice is by adding a handful of rice to a bowl of water and stir well. Plastic rice tends to float on top while the real rice would have drowned in water.

* Plastic is known to give out a peculiar smell while burning and this simple trick can help you identify if the rice is real or fake. Take a few grains of rice and burn it with a match stick, if the rice is actually made of plastic you will see the product curling in and giving out a peculiar smell whereas the real rice may turn black but will not give out the smell of plastic.