Protest over reports [pt] of the circulation of rice unfit for human consumption in São Tomé have ãoToméled to the withdrawal of the food from the market by order of the government at the beginning of July. The rice was part of a 900-ton order worth about two million US dollars imported from Cameroon using public money. The deal was a direct agreement [pt] between the importing company D.S. Neves Limitada, owned by deputy and Secretary General of the São Tomé Democratic Convergence Party Delfim Neves, and Santoméan Prime Minister Gabriel Costa. Rice, which is one of the most basic and most consumed foodstuffs in São Tomé, is usually given to the country as a donation from Japan through a cooperation agreement [pt] between the two countries. Approaching an expected rice shortage [pt] until an expected 3,000-ton shipment arrived in June, it is likely the rice from Cameroon was an urgent purchase to keep the market supplied in the meantime. But the rice displayed a visible infestation of “mould, remains of dead larva and other insects”, according to a Preliminary Report [pt] into the quality of the rice from the Centre of Agronomic and Technological Research (CIAT) on 6 June 2013. The report circulated widely on social media, reinforcing discontent among the people of São Tomé, who had already reported instances of rotten rice online since the end of May 2013. In the face of the ensuing scandal, the government decided [pt] at a council of ministers on June 23 that the rice should be temporarily withdrawn until conclusive results of tests requested from abroad arrive in the country, as the results appearing in the government agency Centre of Agronomic and Technological Research's report were deemed to be inconclusive. But the rice continued to be sold, leading the government via the Ministry for Commerce, Industry and Tourism to order [pt] it collected from the market and banned from sale. Sacks of rice from Cameroon. Photo by Carsten ten Brink on Flickr (Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 2.0) “We don't want rotten rice“ The matter has been widely discussed [pt] by the country's Internet users, especially on the group “São Tomé e Príncipe ★ Téla Non ★” [pt] on Facebook, which has the greatest audience and influence in the country. A photo of the rice shared by Arlindo Santos on the group gave rise to numerous comments, such as the following by Nayr Santos who states [pt]: É triste mas é verdade! Hoje tive a oportunidade de deparar com esta “qualidade” de arroz que esta a venda na nossa praça. Poderia não acreditar nesta foto, mas vi, infelizmente, de perto o arroz para o “povo” consumir… Digo o “povo” pra ser de uma forma super limitada, porque os que mandam chegar esse arroz cá na ilha pra ser consumido, de CERTEZA que não fará [sic] o uso do mesmo, estes e outros todos que têm as costas largam [sic]! It's sad but true! Today I stumbled upon this “quality” rice which is on sale in our market. You might not believe the photo, but unfortunately, I saw this rice for the “people” to consume with my own eyes… I say the “people”, because those who ordered this rice to be sent to the island for consumption, are CERTAINLY not those who will be eating it, these people and all the others who have power! Photo by Tito Cheque Djalma on Facebook (used with permission) Lucas Lima, a lawyer from São Tomé currently living in Portugal, commented [pt] after reading the Centre of Agronomic and Technological Research's report: Em conversa com uma Mestranda em engenharia alimentar, coloquei-lhe a seguinte questão: Com base neste relatório, o arroz objecto da análise pode ser consumido pela população? Ela simplesmente respondeu-me que nem para animais se deve dar um arroz com essa qualidade. E disse mais, só não houve intoxicação alimentar porque o arroz é um produto seco ou seja, tem baixa quantidade de água. Por ultimo disse-me que este produto a nível de nutriente, já não tem, come-se para “encher a barriga” mas não alimenta. In a conversation with a Master's student in alimentary engineering, I asked her the following question: On the basis of this report, can the rice which has been tested be consumed by the population? She simply replied that rice of this quality should not even be fed to animals. And she added, the only reason why nobody got food poisoning was because rice is a dry product, that is, it has a low water content. And to finish, she told me that this product no longer contains any nutrients, it is eaten to “fill the stomach” but it doesn't provide nourishment.