It’s sad when we hear that somewhere in the world, plastic is being used for evil. Plastic has so many great properties and can do so much, which is why 3D printing has been billed as one of the great modern inventions. So, what’s this great evil we’ve been made aware of? Plastic Rice. China, where more than a billion people are living their lives, a group of evil individuals are selling and exporting plastic rice. Some of the neediest and hungriest people in the world live in this region, and being poisoned with plastic is not helping them. The news of plastic rice started in China, but has now reached Vietnam, Singapore, Indonesia and India. The fake plastic rice is made from a mixture of potato and industrial synthetic resin and can be fatal to eat. Luckily, it should be quite easy to spot the plastic rice, as it doesn’t soften when boiled and people are unlikely to eat hard rice. However, some still may, causing a great deal of damage to the digestive system. When boiled in the soup, the rice not only stays hard, but forms a plastic film over the top. Eating three bowls of the fake rice is deemed to be the equivalent to one plastic bag. At present, this news is an unconfirmed rumour pouring out of various parts of Asia, with China yet to confirm it, but Malaysia acknowledging the news. India have made complaints about the plastic rice coming in from China, with the Delhi government reportedly investigating. The rice is said to be more likely to be sold in small shops, from small suppliers, rather than large supermarkets. The other major issue is that it may be mixed in with normal rice as a way of cutting costs. It seems greed knows no bounds. Add to the report of plastic rice, the report of plastic eggs, which was reported during the avian flu crisis, when there was a massive shortage of eggs.

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