Basmati Rice Fraud in U.S. Markets Exposed

Basmati adulteration, it is estimated, has played up to be a $15 million hoax on the consumers in the US, according to Ricesearch, a one-of-its-kind DNA rice authenticity verification service in India. The state-of-the-art testing facility has been exclusively set up by Tilda, exporter of premium Basmati, with a major footprint in the US, Canada, UK and Middle Eastern markets.

Acting in public interest, a survey on Basmati rice conducted by Ricesearch revealed that only 68 percent of the so-called Basmati Rice sold in the US and Canada is unadulterated.

In the survey, 27 percent of the samples failed to meet rice export standards prevailing in India and Pakistan - the UK and US standards would reject 32 percent.

Even more shocking is the revelation that one in every five samples drawn from the market had adulteration levels of over 25 percent; over 25 percent of the samples had complex mixes of three or more varieties, which result in inconsistent cooking; and less than 15 percent of the samples were of pure traditional Basmati.

"Less than 15 percent of the samples had 100 percent pure basmati, 85 percent was adulterated," reiterated TP Mahesh, President of Tilda Marketing. "The worse thing about the US market, it has been found, is that different lots of the same brand had differing percentages of admixtures, presumably going by the tolerance levels of consumers say in New York or Houston."

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