‘Poisoned’ rice is attempt to bring down Govt., says Indonesia chief

Indonesia’s home minister has called for a police investigation into suspected contamination of rice with plastic, saying it may be an attempt at sabotaging the Government, media reported on Monday. President Joko Widodo has called for calm after reports that tainted rice may have caused the hospitalisation of a girl in Medan on Sunday and made some customers at a food market in Bekasi sick last week. Rice is a common food staple in Indonesia, the world’s third biggest importer, and reports of contamination can quickly cause food scares in the vast archipelago.

What is most important is to look at the root problem and check if it really was in Bekasi or just one vendor.

President Joko Widodo

The scare began last week when customers complained of nausea and dizziness after eating suspect rice from a vendor in Bekasi, a town neighbouring the capital of Jakarta. Initial tests indicated the rice was contaminated with plastic and plastic softeners. Widodo, however, urged consumers to wait for official government test results before jumping to conclusions. The Bekasi vendor, Dewi Septiani, told reporters that the rice she had sold in porridge was “clearly very different and smelled different too. It’s not like natural rice”.

World Indonesia rice