Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on Wednesday supported Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol’s assertion that “bukbok” (weevil)-infested imported rice was safe for human consumption, especially if it had been thoroughly washed and cooked. “As long as it has been thoroughly washed and cooked, this would neutralize whatever microbes the rice weevil brought,” Duque said. ADVERTISEMENTIn an interview on Tuesday, Piñol said he was willing to eat the weevil-infested rice to prove his point that the grain was safe for consumption. The National Food Authority (NFA) said last week that it had to fumigate 330,000 of bags of rice it imported from Thailand and Vietnam as these were infested with weevils. To date, the health secretary said his office had yet to receive reports of anyone who fell ill after eating rice infested with weevils.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer August 29, 2018 20:26 UTC