Saudi Arabia plans action against rice adulterators
By Syed Rashid Husain
RIYADH, May 4: Pakistani rice exporters to Saudi Arabia have been saying it for long. Now the Saudi media has also joined the chorus. “Rice consumers (in Saudi Arabia) are being taken for a ride with the widespread adulteration of high quality varieties, especially basmati,” Saudi daily Arab News said in a report quoting dealers.
Authorities have been apprised of the menace of adulteration, which seems to be growing in this part of the world, the report added.
Pakistani rice dealers have often claimed that Pakistani basmati has often been targeted for adulteration, damaging the brand image of Pakistani basmati rice in Saudi Arabia.
They say traders from Dubai and in other places, at time conniving with competition, have been sending adulterated rice to the kingdom in the name of Pakistani basmati.
Now the report says, the Saudi food watchdogs plan action to stop basmati rice cheats — companies that mislead unwitting consumers by mixing the fragrant strain from the Himalayan foothills with other long-grain alternatives.
A recent survey using DNA technology conducted by Ricesearch revealed nearly 40 per cent of the so-called basmati rice sold in the Kingdom’s retail market was adulterated with inferior quality grains.
“Not only does this practice short change consumers when they pay a premium, but actually affects the quality of the food they prepare,” a trader was quoted as saying in the report.
The survey shows that barely 61 per cent of the basmati rice sold here has been found unadulterated.
DNA tests can tell the difference between rice varieties.
“DNA identification technology is now being applied to investigate a new form of crime — food fraud,” a Dubai-based Indian rice exporter was quoted as saying in the report.
Saudi Arabia imports 600,000 to 650,000 tons of basmati rice annually, one of the biggest consumers of the high quality rice.
In the survey, 30pc of the samples failed to meet food standards prevailing in the UK and 15 per cent of the samples failed to meet the lowest standards prevailing in India and Pakistan.
Even more shocking is the revelation that over 12 per cent of the samples, drawn from the market, had adulteration levels of over 50 per cent and in some cases as high as 80 per cent. Less than 10 per cent of the samples were pure traditional basmati and over 34 per cent had complex mixes of three or more varieties, which can result in very inconsistent cooking results.
All official agencies related to quality control, including Saudi Arabian Standards Organisation, aim to safeguard the rice strains grown in northwest India and Pakistan against adulteration. These have a distinctive aroma and characteristic elongated grain when cooked.
