Nigeria has confiscated 2.5 tonnes of "plastic rice" smuggled into the country by unscrupulous businessmen, the customs service says.
Lagos customs chief Haruna Mamudu said the fake rice was intended to be sold in markets during the festive season.
He said the rice was very sticky after it was boiled and "only God knows what would have happened" if people ate it.
It is not clear where the seized sacks came from but rice made from plastic pellets was found in China last year.
Rice is the most popular staple food in Nigeria.
Whoever made this fake rice did an exceptionally good job - on first impression it would have fooled me. When I ran the grains through my fingers nothing felt out of the ordinary.
But when I smelt a handful of the "rice" there was a faint chemical odour. Customs officials say when they cooked up the rice it was too sticky - and it was then abundantly clear this was no ordinary batch.
They've sent a sample to the laboratories to determine exactly what the "rice" is made of.
They are also warning the public not to consume the mystery foodstuff as it could be dangerous.
Fake food scandals are thankfully rare in Nigeria when you compare it to countries such as China.
The big scandal here is fake pharmaceutical drugs that kill a huge number of people every year.
A total of 102 sacks, each containing 25kg (55lb), was seized.
Investigations are under way to establish how much of the contraband has already been sold.
The customs official called on "economic saboteurs who see yuletide season as a peak period for their nefarious acts to desist from such illegal" business activity.
Mr Mamudu did not explain how the plastic rice was made but said it had been branded as "Best Tomato Rice.
Now it's very obvious that this so-called rice might even be in the Nigeria market now.
What baffles me the most is, what could possibly be the profit made from selling unwholesome goods to the general public and even the merchant's relations, jeopardizing the health of a whole nation.
This should be seen as an act of terrorism and be treated as such.
This issue have been viral on the social media for some time now but the federal government through it's agent turned down the claims, now it's very evident.
HOW TO IDENTIFY 'PLASTIC RICE'
• It floats on water:
Be observant, once you see majority of your rice grains floating in water maybe when you want to wash/parboil, please do not continue with the cooking.
• It gives off plastic/rubber smell when being burnt.
Always test you rice before cooking. Get a portion of it and burn, if it smells plastic like do not go further with the cooking.
• after boiling, the rice sticks together more than the usual one, so when you boil it and discover that the rice is very sticky/gums together more than the way it's supposed to be, please do not eat it.
There are other ways of identifying this so-called rice but I'll stop here. Please be observant this Christmas period, be mindful what you eat, drink, and put on...try and kill the rush hour syndrome of this period and protect your health and the health of the whole nation.
Thanks for reading...much love from Jeff 😘😘😘
