2.5 Metric Tons Of 'Plastic Rice' Or 'Fake Rice' Confiscated In Nigeria

The Nigerian Customs Service had seized about 2.5 metric tons of "plastic rice" or fake rice this holiday season. The customs service said that the 102 bags of "plastic rice" were smuggled by unscrupulous businessmen.

Haruna Mamudu, the Lagos customs chief, said that the fake rice was meant to be sold in markets this season. He described the rice as very sticky after it was boiled. He further said that "only God knows what would happen" if people ate it.

It is unclear where the bags of rice with the brand called Best Tomato Rice came from. On the other hand, the rice that was made from plastic pellets was discovered in China a year ago, according to BBC News.

Meanwhile, the health ministry is calling the Nigerians to stay calm after preliminary findings showed that no evidence that the rice was plastic or consisted of toxic chemical substances. On the other hand, the National Agency for Food Drug Administration Control is still investigating it.

A customer bought 10 cups of the fake rice, which was about 2 kilograms, from a small retailer in the Ikeja area of Lagos in November. She said that it looked perfectly normal and cost less. So, she thought that it was a great deal. She cooked rice normally for 20 minutes but after 30 minutes the rice was still hard, so, she added more water and the aroma was chemical in nature so she discarded the rice thinking it has expired.

Another woman received the rice as a gift. She observed that there was something wrong after cooking the rice and her husband called the customs officials.

Jerry Attah, the public relations officer for the assistant superintendent of customs, told CNN that if you look at it, it is rice -- even if you eat it, it is rice. On the other hand, if you touch it, you will feel it that it is not rice. He further said that is why he calls it fake rice, not plastic rice. He added that it is more like flour coated in maybe rubber. He then concluded that he does not know the kind of formulations or chemicals they use.