KEBS States There is No Plastic Rice in Circulation in Kenya

The government, through the Kenya Bureau of Standards, has stated that there is no plastic rice in circulation in Kenya.

Over the last few months, there has been a video doing rounds on social media saying Kenyans might have consumed plastic rice unknowingly but KEBS has categorically stated that this was merely a false alarm.

In a statement that was released on Monday morning, the agency charged with ensuring products in the country are safe for consumption, stated that the video on social media shows a process conducted by manufacturers when recycling plastic materials.

"There is no basis for the said allegations. The video circulating on social media shows a common process often conducted by manufacturers when recycling plastic materials.

"Through it, used plastic products are recycled and converted into pellets, which can then be re-used to produce various plastic products," read part of the statement.

They also stated that they had conducted tests on several samples collected from various retail and wholesale stores to ensure only quality rice is in circulation.

"The KEBS’ market surveillance team has conducted several store visits and collected samples which have been tested as per the East Africa and Kenya Standards (KS EAS 128) on rice and all tests have confirmed that the rice currently in the market is safe for consumption.

"ALL imports are tested in the country of origin under the Pre-Export Verification of Conformity (PVoC) Programme. All imports including rice are to be accompanied with Certificates of Conformity (CoCs) when they arrive in the country," said the agency.

KEBS also stated that it had requested those making the claims on plastic rice to provide information on the source or location of those dealing or retailing the fake product but no information had been provided yet.