Expert: Rice can go bad if stocked up too long

 

PETALING JAYA, Malaysia - Malaysians should avoid stocking up on rice as keeping it for some time can cause its quality to deteriorate.

Depending on storage conditions, rice can become infected by fungus when exposed to moist conditions and produce toxins harmful to health, said agronomist Ho Nai Kin.

"It is best to buy enough for about a month," he said.

"It also depends on the stock. If it is already infected by weevils at the time it is bought, the quality of the rice will deteriorate faster," he said in an interview here yesterday.

He said there was no reason to panic and stock up on rice.

"The Government has assured the people that the existing stockpile can last for more than five months."

Ho said people should also reduce rice wastage.

"We waste a lot of rice, which can clearly be seen from the leftover food at restaurants," he said.

"We may not even have to import so much rice from other countries if we can reduce wastage."

It was reported that Malaysians threw away up to 930 tonnes of unconsumed food daily - equivalent to 93,000 of 10kg bags of rice each day.