M’sia Health Ministry Warns That Leftover Rice May Give Food Poisoning, Be Careful How You Store It

Give Your Leftover Rice A Sniff Before Sticking It Into The Microwave

We’ve all encountered this problem before — accidentally cooking too much rice for a meal. Most of us will end up packing the leftover rice and reheating it when needed.

But this seemingly harmless habit may have to change soon.

Malaysia’s Ministry of Health issued a warning yesterday (23 Dec) about consuming leftover rice. They claim that if the rice starts to have a weird smell, it’s best to throw it away.

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Here’s a translation of the advisory:

“Did you know that reheated rice can cause food poisoning?

This is not caused by reheating the rice, but the way we store the rice before reheating it.

When rice is stored at room temperature for more than 4 hours, the bacterial spores in the rice become active again. This causes the breeding of the bacillus cereus bacteria which produces poisonous toxins.

Rice that’s slimy and smelly cannot be eaten. This is why it’s important to emphasise on proper food storage.

Cooked rice that’s not finished must be kept in a closed container in a fridge.”

Storage of rice is the most important

So don’t panic just yet, because you can still reheat rice – as long as you store it properly beforehand.

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Make sure to let any leftover rice cool before storing it in a container. You should then ideally keep it in the fridge within an hour, according to the UK’s National Health Service.

Even after keeping the rice in the fridge, you should throw leftovers away within a day, and avoid reheating more than once.

Be careful before consuming

The festive season means parties, which also translate to tons of leftover food. In the midst of dabao-ing all the goodies, remember to store them properly before refrigerating.

Don’t hesitate to discard any food that smells funky. Throwing food out may seem like a waste, but your health is much more valuable.

Let’s enjoy the festivities without letting food poisoning get in our way.

Featured image adapted from Facebook and Just One Cookbook.