The Lebanese authorities have seized a shipment containing a large amount of spoiled rice coming from China.
The Lebanese Ministry of Agriculture announced the seizure of the shipment in a statement on Saturday morning.
“A team at the Agricultural Quarantine Center seized at the Port of Tripoli a ship of spoiled rice containing high levels of molds and residues of toxic pesticides, coming from China, in an amount of 31 thousand tonnes,” the Ministry said.
The ship was prevented from unloading its cargo at the Port.
The Agriculture Ministry assured the Lebanese people that it is committing to “its role in strictly monitoring all border crossings, out of concern for the health of citizens and the safety of food.”
Lebanon has recorded several instances of food safety threats over the past few months.
In March, it was revealed that salmonella had increased in food services in the country due to poor enforcement of the food safety law.
This was around a month after the Economy Ministry’s Consumer Protection Directorate arrested butchers for selling expired meat in Beirut.
In mid-January, the Directorate announced that it would destroy more than a tonne of contaminated burger meat, a little over a week after tonnes of expired sushi ingredients were found in a warehouse that supplied more than 200 restaurants in Lebanon.
*Photo used for illustrative purposes only.
