tips to avoid the infamous ‘plastic rice’ from China:
1 – Buy only from accredited and licensed store, or any designated public markets, supermarkets, or NFA accredited retailers.
2 – Be familiar with the characteristics of real rice. Regular-milled and well-milled rice are long-grained and not too white. Grains may vary in sizes since it is nature-made and not machine-made. Also, grains must be brittle.
3 – Be familiar with the characteristics of fake rice. Fake rice is too white, too round, too shiny. The grains are almost equally shaped which most probably are machine-made. Also, grains of fake rice are harder to break. When cooked, they usually produce a thin plastic layer on top of the grains which can be easily set on fire. The grains at the bottom crust are squeezed together to form a rubber.
4 – Smell the grains and be sure that its odor is not plastic.
5 – Avoid buying rice that is lighter than normal.