Click here to print
Is Deadly Afla-Toxin Eating Your Rice? Importer Says Yes, Bureau Of Standards Says No
Wed, February 10, 2016

Is there a deadly contaminant in your rice? Importer Jack Charles says there is! And he says he's confirmed it with a top lab in the US. The contaminant is called Afla Toxin – which is carcinogenic, meaning it causes cancer, and it's also linked to liver disease and other ailments.

Today, after holding back for more than a week to get some response from Government, Charles sent out the test results, when it became clear that Government wouldn't budge.

They show three different brands of local rice, which he bought off the shelf and sent to Eurofins Laboratory in New Orleans, Louisiana. The test results for all three brands of rice show the presence of aflatoxins – but at less than two micrograms per kilogramme.

The law – which is Statutory Instrument of October 2015, says, quote, "Rice shall be free of…contaminants…that is, aflatoxin which is created by improper storage. "


So, then Charles takes the words "free of contaminants" to mean that the rice should have no aflatoxins, meaning that it has tested negative for the contaminant. He declined an interview, but sent a release, which says, quote, " The results (were) outside the limits…especially those related to biological contaminants which are harmful to human health."

But, the rice producers say he has it all wrong. They say that the tests, in fact, confirm that local rice is safe to eat. Attorney for the rice producers, Eamon Courtenay told us quote, "The test results establish that Belizean produced rice is safe for human consumption. Mr Charles' press release amounts to a libel on my clients good name. This latest desperate attack by the importer is misleading and calculated to cause panic in the Belizean community. It confirms what I said: he will do absolutely anything in order to make a profit by supporting imported rice."

We couldn't get comment from BAHA to find out what "free of…. contaminants" means specifically in terms of micrograms, but the meaning is clear enough. The Ministry of Agriculture referred us to the Bureau of Standards – which sent a release late this evening. It says, quote, " the Bureau…concluded that the test results provided…by Mr. Jack Charles shows that none of the rice samples analysed contain detectable levels of aflatoxins and as a result does not pose any threat to human health."

And the usually indifferent agency ends with a flourish, adding, quote, "It is regrettable that the commercial interests of one individual, veiled under the guise of food safety concerns, is being used in an attempt to erode the confidence in food safety which the people of Belize now enjoy."

What we have found from our own research is that regulatory authorities in different countries have set tolerance limits for aflatoxins that range from 0 to 50 micrograms per kilogram. In India, for example, a tolerance limit of 30 micrograms is their standard. The rice tested in Belize is less than two micrograms.

And what causes aflatoxin contamination? Well to really simplify it aflatoxin is like a type of mold – but a very harmful one, that is created when stored rice or grains get wet. It affects all types of grains, including corn, and is considered an unavoidable contaminant of food.

Close this window