A video alongside a claim that chemical is being used in the production of rice has been circulating online, especially on WhatsApp.
The video was a mix of two different footages. In the first footage, some men who appeared like Asians were mixing rice with some black substance in an earthenware, after which the ‘rice’ puffed up, doubled in size and the colour changed to white.
Meanwhile in the second footage, a woman could be seen talking about the rice processing in Pidgin English, even as it also displayed the first footage onscreen.
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She was asserting in the video that the rice was being processed with chemicals, adding that it was harmful for human consumption.
Part of the audio from the footage transcribed read:
… E get the way rice take dey scent, e get the rice wey dey feel for mouth. Look at wetin e put o, see the way this thing go increase now now , see wetin he mix am with. Ah this people ehn, this people . They want to finish the world and this is what our people are consuming on a daily basis , Nobody on earth wey no eat rice. Small thing wey e put join that black na him mix am so, e go come many, e go come rise. Ehn this is too bad. Just watch and see how they would package this rice and bring for people to be buying and selling. Using Chemicals to do rice… They are using chemical to produce rice.
She further said that rice are no longer being planted in farms but rather being manufactured artificially as they looked really clean and had no stones in them, unlike locally planted rice.
Due to the health significance of the video, and its virality on WhatsApp, The FactCheckHub decided to check the claim.
CLAIM
Video shows chemicals being used to produce artificial rice.
THE FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is MISLEADING!
An analysis conducted on the footage showed a previous version which was uploaded on Instagram in December 2022 by an IG user: @_veggie_bite_.
A text inscription on the video read: Murmura/Puffed Rice Making.
In the caption, there were a lot of hashtags including Indian street food and Mumbai street food which clearly indicates that the video was likely taken in or related to India.
In India, puffed rice is known by various regional names such as murmura in Hindi, pura in Punjabi, mamra in Gujarati, kurmura in Marathi, charmbura in Konkani, muri in Bengali, mudhi in Odia, muri in Assamese, pori in Tamil and Malayalam, mandakki in Kannada, and kurlari in Tulu, and borugulu in Telugu.
Puffed rice is a type of puffed grain made from rice and is a staple food in traditional cuisines across Southeast Asia, East Asia, and South Asia. It has been commercially produced in the West since 1904 and is commonly found in breakfast cereals and snack foods.
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Also, an online news outlet, Asia Net News, published a story about a video shared by the Instagram user @_veggie_bite_, demonstrating how puffed rice is produced by a local industry in India.
According to sources like the Pharmeasy and The Economic Times, puffed rice is highly nutritious, containing many essential macronutrients and micronutrients. It can be enriched with dietary fiber, protein, zinc, iron, and vitamins A and C.
THE VERDICT
The claim that the video  shows chemicals being used to produce artificial rice is MISLEADING; what is being made in the video is puffed rice which is a breakfast staple and a snack commonly eaten in some parts of India.
Seasoned fact-checker and researcher Fatimah Quadri has written numerous fact-checks, explainers, and media literacy pieces for The FactCheckHub in an effort to combat information disorder. She can be reached at sunmibola_q on X or [email protected].
