Nakrob

Third 10kg bag and third with insects! All different brands and purchased in different stores. Is this common? Easy enough to weed the little guys out before cooking but its a bit off putting.

bakedbean

I suspect it's pot luck. I've had bugs in rice and pasta from time to time over the years, both in Malaysia and Thailand (didn't cook much in Singapore so cannot vouch for that country). Yes very annoying indeed. Presumably the bugs get in at the packing stage? Just one of those things I suppose.

Bluenose1

Funnily enough, I found bugs in own-brand (both Asda & Tesco) in the UK last year! Never found any in MacDougalls, but that may just have been luck! Weeded out by using a sieve...... and I always thought that chefs recommended sieving to put air in!

Nakrob

We've experienced this in Thailand but never in Australia, despite eating a tonne of rice! Like you say, a sieve soon sorts the problem out. I'll be having a good look at future bags before putting them in the trolley though.

ajw

I am at the point where I have to keep my rice, pasta, biscuits etc etc in the fridge or freezer for this very reason!

jonboy

Usually rinsing the uncooked rice causes your little friends to float to the surface and you can pour them away with the water. I think they are called Weevils, any that are left in the rice will be steamed to perfection when you cook the rice. It would be a pity to throw away good rice just look upon it as being two courses in one

bakedbean

nicola s

I know this thread is from a while ago but my husband said he has found bugs in the food cupboard and when I said to keep things in plastic containers he said he was and it seemed to be from inside the packaging, so is this something to get used to? I like baking and cooking and wonder if any brands are more likely than others for this to happen,

steveMY

no problems with it, we always go out for dining...

nicola s

ha ha it may require that thinking

bakedbean

Just to say it happens sometimes. I've probably had 1 or 2 bags of something I've had to chuck in say one year. Usually rice or pasta. If it happens more frequently, I'd be inclined to take note of the brand and avoid.

nicola s

thanks bakedbean.

Pulaski

Good plan, because restaurants and commercial kitchens never have problems with bugs or rodents.

We had weevils in rice that we brought from the UK, that appeared to have come from within the packaging, which I think would have meant that it was Sainsbury's brand rice. We have had occasional problems subsequently with weevils or tiny moths (known here as "millers") in rice and other dried starches sourced here in the US, so I suspect that they are common within the processing and packing industry. Foods usually have some tiny contamination particles, and while distasteful, they are not harmful. Famously the US Food and Drug Administration has an acceptable number of "insect parts" per bar of chocolate - I believe the number is "eight", if I remember correctly.

nicola s

Pulaski when I was over the last time I walked down to the local shop for an onion (had bought everything else for roast chicken but forgot this) and as I was in the queue to pay,
a rat ran along the top of the shelves, so I left the onion, my husband was not amused at us having to go back to the shopping centre for the said onion required.

I think there are similar rules in UK my ex MIL works for a big biscuit factory and they have to get EH in to check for flour weevils she did say M&S have the strictest rules for everything in their factory so I have tended to stick with them, until I moved 40 miles from the nearest. luckily I did see an M&S in KLCC and lots of other lovely clean looking shops.

I don't mind the open air markets tho so will enjoy shopping there too once I get to know the best ones

Pulaski

"Over there" and "local" with respect to where? ..... considering that you're apparently in Scotland, your husband is in Malaysia, and you're roaming the BE globe posting here and there.
Would that be United Biscuits?