Archived news - Rice companies court out!

Specialist work carried out by CAZS Natural Resources at the University of Wales, Bangor has enabled trading standards officers at Essex County Council to bring successful court actions against two companies for supplying batches of rice named as Basmati rice that contained non-basmati rice.

CAZS Natural Resources were contracted to test 363 samples for the Food Standards Agency (FSA) Basmati rice survey in 2003. Essex County Council followed this up by taking further samples. The tests were carried out by CAZS-NR to confirm the levels of non-basmati present in the samples that led to the successful prosecutions. In one case it was found that a sample contained at least 75% non-basmati grains.

Two Essex based rice importers Basmati Rice (UK) Limited and Surya Rice Limited have appeared in court and admitted to supplying the batches that contained non-Basmati rice. Legal action was taken by Essex County Council Trading Standards when samples of the rice were taken in April 2004.

“Basmati rice is imported from Pakistan or India and retails at a premium price in comparison to other rice. The issue of adulterated rice within the industry came to light in 2003 when the national survey that we carried out by on behalf of the FSA found samples that contained non-basmati content,” explains Dr Katherine Steele, one of the two scientists that carried out the work.

“Essex County Council Trading Standards followed up on the FSA survey and found two companies, including Basmati Rice (UK) Limited, that were selling adulterated batches. This should be a wake up call to the industry that frequent testing is required to stamp out fraud,” explains research partner Dr John Gorham.