NFA orders probe, continuous inspection vs fake rice

The National Food Authority (NFA) has directed all its inspectors nationwide to conduct daily inspection in rice stores as it began investigations on the sale of alleged fake rice in Davao City.

The order was signed by NFA administrator Renan Dalisay on Monday (June 29).

Presidential Assistant for Food Security and Agricultural Modernization Francis Pangilinan, whose office oversees the NFA, said that he was assured by Dalisay that the food agency is on top of the issue.

“Aside from the inspections being conducted, an investigation is on-going and will not stop until we get to the bottom of this,” Pangilinan said.

According to a report by the NFA office in Davao City, the incident was reported last June 26 after Carmencita Grinio of Matina Aplaya, Davao City complained of their rice having a styro-like appearance.

The rice, according to Grinio, was allegedly from Ciudad Esperanza Canteen in Cabantian, Davao City and the rice supplier was a certain Eliza Breta.

NFA Davao City Provincial Manager Virgilio Alerta immediately conducted an investigation and gathered samples from Breta’s rice store.

Breta has denied supplying rice to Ciudad Esperanza Canteen.
The NFA is still looking for the canteen where the fake rice allegedly came from as initial reports indicated that Ciudad Esperanza is a residential subdivision.

NFA Davao City is currently verifying the details from the complainant.

In the meantime, the NFA said that samples of the alleged fake rice were already submitted to the Food Development Center for lab tests.

“Pending investigation, we have already coordinated with the Bureau of Customs and the Philippines Coast Guard to intensify inspection activities in all our ports and ensure none of these fake rice will get into the country,” Pangilinan said.

“We are also closely working with the Grains Retailers Confederation of the Philippines (GRECON) to intensify monitoring as they are the ones present in all the markets in the country. We can not let fake rice reach the tables of the Filipinos,” he said. (PNA)