"No 'Plastic Rice' in Kenya as circulated on social media." Says KEBS.

Plastic Rice from China. PHOTO | Courtesy

Kenya Bureau of Standard (Kebs) has denied the presence of Plastic rice and GMO maize in the country. According to the authority, the tested several products across the country and were found to be safe for human consumption.

In a statement to newsrooms, Kebs Managing Director Charles Ongwae said the agency sent its market surveillance team to administer tests on rice sold in several stores.

He said the test results confirmed that the rice currently in the Kenyan market is safe for consumption and majorly from Kenyan farmers.

“There is no basis for the said allegations. The video circulating on social media shows a common process often conducted by manufacturers when recycling plastic materials."

"Through it, used plastic products are recycled and converted into pellets, which can then be re-used to produce various plastic products."


“All imports are tested in the country of origin under the Pre-Export Verification of Conformity Programme. All imports including rice are to be accompanied with Certificates of Conformity when they arrive in the country,” he said.

Mr Ongwae said an issued certificate of conformity confirms that the imports have been inspected against the relevant standards at the source and found to meet the requirements of the respective product standards.


“Products that do not meet these requirements are issued with Non-Conformity Reports and are rejected and not allowed to be exported to Kenya,” Mr Ongwae said.

Kebs urged consumers to submit samples of rice or any other product that they feel do not meet standards for testing in its laboratories in Nairobi, Kisumu or Mombasa or immediately call the toll-free line 0800221350.

People have been told to be vigilant and report any product that suspects to be scientifical produced. All the Kenyan stores selling consumables will be tested and verified by KEBS before letting for human consumption.