Strengthening Food Safety in Guyana’s Rice Industry: A Supply Chain Review of the Physical Hazards of Rice
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14738/tnc.1304.19129Keywords:
Physical hazards, food safety, rice supply chain, control measures, sources of contaminationAbstract
Rice contributes significantly to Guyana’s economy and plays an important role in ensuring food security. However, within the rice sector, food safety receives less attention compared to productivity and grain quality. This review examines the physical hazards that have the potential to contaminate rice. It focuses on the types, sources, risks and mitigations strategies for the physical hazards identified. Physical hazards are characterized as any unintended foreign or extraneous materials found in food, which may cause harm, illness, injury or psychological trauma to consumers, and can enter rice at multiple points from farm to fork. Inadequate infrastructure, poor hygienic practices, lack of stakeholders’ commitment and weak compliance with food safety measures contribute to an elevated risk of contamination. The paper identifies critical weaknesses in Guyana’s legal framework by analyzing the Rice Factories Act and the Guyana Rice Development Board Act, which together govern key aspects of the rice sector, with minimal focus on food safety. These legal gaps exacerbate poor stakeholder compliance and accountability. Recommendations to effectively prevent and control physical hazards in rice include the implementation of prerequisites programs and food safety systems such as Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP). This paper is the first to address the issue of physical hazards in rice in Guyana, it provides a better understanding of the risks of contamination and proposes a foundation for future policy and research efforts tailored to the country’s rice supply chain.
References
Prasad R, Shivay YS, Kumar D. Current Status, Challenges, and Opportunities in Rice Production. In: Chauhan BS, Jabran K, Mahajan G, editors. Rice Production Worldwide [Internet]. Cham: Springer International Publishing; 2017 [cited 2025 May 27]. p. 1–32. Available from: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/978-3-319-47516-5_1
Abdo AI, Tian M, Shi Z, Sun D, Abdel-Fattah MK, Zhang J, et al. Carbon footprint of global rice production and consumption. J Clean Prod. 2024; 474(1):143560.
Damalas CA, Koutroubas SD. Herbicide‐resistant barnyardgrass (Echinochloa crus‐galli) in global rice production. Weed Biol Manag. 2023;23(1):23–33.
Persaud R, Payman G, Khan K, Singh N, Persaud DA, Subramanian5 G. Effectiveness of new fungicides and neem plant aqueous extract against brown spot disease of rice. Int J Agric Policy Res [Internet]. 2023 [cited 2025 Mar 6];11(1). Available from: https://grdb.gy/research-papers/
Persaud R, Peters A, Joseph P, David T, Amichand S, Persaud DA, et al. Steps Taken to Mitigate the Threats of Maximum Residue Limits (MRL) of Pesticides in Rice and Protecting Guyana Rice Exports Markets: Present and Future Prospects. Eur J Agric Food Sci. 2024;6(2).
Shrestha RK, Stratton J, Bianchini A. Overview of grain-based foods. In: Food Safety [Internet]. Elsevier; 2025 [cited 2025 May 27]. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/C2018-0-03984-5
Vadivambal R, Jayas DS. Food Safety Considerations for Cereal Grains. In: Food Supplies and Food Safety: Production, Conservation and Population Impact [Internet]. Nova; 2011 [cited 2025 Jun 4]. Available from: https://openurl.ebsco.com/contentitem/e000xna:411424?sid=ebsco:plink:crawler&id=ebsco:e000xna:411424&crl=c
World Bank. Guyana Rice Supply Chain Risk Assessment [Internet]. 2011 [cited 2025 Jun 4]. Available from: https://hdl.handle.net/10986/27392
United Nations for Food and Agriculture and World Health Organization. Codex Alimentarius Commission: Procedural Manual [Internet]. 10th ed. Rome, Italy; 1997 [cited 2025 May 27]. Available from: https://wwwfao-org.proxy.lib.umich.edu/4/w5975e/w5975e00.htm#Contents
Ghazanfar S, Abid R, Ajmal W, Haider Z, Khan B, Rani S, et al. An Introduction to Food Safety and its Impact on Human Health. In: Food Safety: Contaminants and Risk Assessment [Internet]. Taylor & Francis; 2024 [cited 2025 Jun 7]. p. 1–22. Available from: https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/edit/10.1201/9781003333913/food-safety-mohammed-kuddus-syedamir-ashraf-pattanathu-rahman
Pan American Health Organization. Food safety is everyone’s business [Internet]. 2019 [cited 2025 Jun 7]. Available from: https://www.paho.org/en/news/6-6-2019-food-safety-everyones-business
World Health Organization. Food Safety [Internet]. 2025 [cited 2025 Jun 7]. Available from: https://www.who.int/health-topics/food-safety
Aladjadjiyan A. Physical Hazards in the Agri-food Chain. In: Safety in the Agri-Food Chain. In Wageningen Academic Publishers; 2005 [cited 2025 Jun 8]. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/207706204_Physical_Hazards_in_the_Agrifood_Chain_In_Safety_in_the_Agri-Food_Chain
Bahatsi LF, Stratton J. Physical hazards in grain-based foods. In: Food Safety: Grain Based Foods [Internet]. Elsevier Inc.; 2025. p. 225–41. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/C2018-0-03984-5
Onyeaka H, Jalata DD, Mekonnen SA. Mitigating physical hazards in food processing: Risk assessment and preventive strategies. Food Sci Nutr [Internet]. 2023 Oct 7 [cited 2025 Jun 8];11(12). Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38107102/
Rhodehamel EJ. Overview of Biological, Chemical, and Physical Hazards. In: HACCP [Internet]. Springer, Boston, MA; 1992 [cited 2025 Jun 8]. p. 8–28. Available from: https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-4684-8818-0_3
US Food & Drug Administration. Good Manufacturing Practices for the 21st Century for Food Processing (2004 Study). FDA [Internet]. 2024 Aug 30 [cited 2025 Jun 11]; Available from: https://www.fda.gov/food/currentgood-manufacturing-practices-cgmps-food-and-dietary-supplements/good-manufacturing-practices-21stcentury-food-processing-2004-study-section-2-literature-review
US Department of Food & Agriculture. Recalls & Public Health Alerts | Food Safety and Inspection Service [Internet]. 2024 [cited 2025 Jun 17]. Available from: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/recalls
Dessì C, Okoffo ED, O’Brien JW, Gallen M, Samanipour S, Kaserzon S, et al. Plastics contamination of storebought rice. J Hazard Mater. 2021;416:125778.
Mortimore S, Wallace C. Hazards, Their Significance, and Control. In: HACCP [Internet]. Springer, Boston, MA; 2013 [cited 2025 Jun 8]. p. 67–111. Available from: https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-4614-5028-3_3
Singh PK, Singh RP, Singh P, Singh RL. Food Hazards: Physical, Chemical, and Biological. In: Singh RL, Mondal S, editors. Food Safety and Human Health [Internet]. Academic Press; 2019 [cited 2025 Jun 8]. p. 15–65. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-816333-7.00002-3
Marshall DL, Dickson JS, Nguyen NH. Ensuring Food Safety in Insect Based Foods: Mitigating Microbiological and Other Foodborne Hazards. In: Insects as Sustainable Food Ingredients [Internet]. Academic Press; 2016 [cited 2025 Jun 16]. p. 223–53. Available from:
US Food & Drug Administration. FDA. FDA; 2024 [cited 2025 Jun 17]. Recalls, Market Withdrawals, & Safety Alerts. Available from: https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts
Edwards M. Food hygiene and foreign bodies. In: Hygiene in Food Processing [Internet]. Woodhead Publishing; 2014 [cited 2025 Jun 16]. p. 441–64. Available from:
Fărcaș AC. Food Safety in Cereal Grains: Contaminants, Legislation, and Mitigation Strategies. In: Worldwide Megatrends in Food Safety and Food Security [Internet]. 2024. Available from: https://www.intechopen.com/online-first/1207360
Baidhe E, Clementson CL, Senyah J, Hammed A. Appraisal of Post-Harvest Drying and Storage Operations in Africa: Perspectives on Enhancing Grain Quality. AgriEngineering. 2024 Sep;6(3):3030–57.
Singh N, Singh D, Daynauth RCG. An Investigation of the Drying Methods and their Effects on Milling Quality of Rice in Guyana. Farm Bus - J Caribb Agro-Econ Soc [Internet]. 2021 [cited 2025 Jun 10];13(01). Available from: https://ideas.repec.org//a/ags/fabtho/312448.html
Munguia N. How to Help Prevent Physical Hazards in Food: A Guide for QC Teams [Internet]. FSNS. 2024 [cited 2025 Jun 8]. Available from: https://fsns.com/how-to-help-prevent-physical-hazards-in-food-a-guide-for-qcteams/
Khairi MTM, Ibrahim S, Yunus MAM, Faramarzi M. Noninvasive techniques for detection of foreign bodies in food: A review. J Food Process Eng [Internet]. 2018 [cited 2025 Jun 21];41(6). Available from: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jfpe.12808
Kumar N, Kumar V, Singh C, Shukla V. Studies on Association Between Rodents Infestation in Different Stage of Rice Cultivation. Int J Agric Sci Res. 2013;3(3):117–26.
Thakur M, Kumar V. Management of Stored Grain - Rice Pests. In: Rice Production: Modern Techniques [Internet]. New Delhi: Biotech Book; 2009. p. 441–57. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/352020162_Management_of_stored_grain_rice_pests
Cogburn RR. Insect Pests of Stored Rice. In: Rice Production [Internet]. Springer, Boston, MA; 1991 [cited 2025 Jun 11]. p. 269–85. Available from: https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-4899-3754-4_7
Parris N. Guyana sees ‘record high’ rice production in 2024. 2024; Available from: https://guyanachronicle.com/2024/12/31/guyana-sees-record-high-rice-production-in-2024/
United Nations for Food and Agriculture. FAO GIEWS Country Brief on Guyana - [Internet]. 2025 [cited 2025 Jun 15]. Available from: https://www-faoorg.proxy.lib.umich.edu/giews/countrybrief/country.jsp?code=GUY&lang=fr
Attrey DP. Food safety in international food trade—imports and exports. In: Food Safety in the 21st Century [Internet]. Academic Press; 2017 [cited 2025 Jun 15]. p. 455–68. Available from:
Fanfair S. Infested container found with holes, insects – Jamaican authorities [Internet]. Guyana Times. 2019 [cited 2025 Jun 15]. Available from: https://guyanatimesgy.com/infested-container-found-with-holes-insectsjamaican-authorities/
Sareen S. Guidance on hygiene and safety in The food retail sector. Bangkok: FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific; 2014.
Giri S, Lamichhane G, Khadka D, Devkota HP. Microplastics contamination in food products: Occurrence, analytical techniques and potential impacts on human health. Curr Res Biotechnol. 2024 Jan 1;7:100190.
Jin M, Wang X, Ren T, Wang J, Shan J. Microplastics contamination in food and beverages: Direct exposure to humans. J Food Sci. 2021;86(7):2816–37.
Gamarro EG, Costanzo V. Microplastics in Food Commodities A Food Safety Review on Human Exposure Through Dietary Sources [Internet]. Rome: United Nations for Food and Agriculture; 2022. (Food Safety and Quality Series No. 18). Available from: https://openknowledge.fao.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/1af02111-204a-4fcb-a622-e5edb856074b/content#:~:text=In%20addition%20to%20environmental%20matrices,to%20these%20small%20plastic%20particles.
Rezania S, Park J, Md Din MF, Taib SM, Talaiekhozani A, Yadav KK, et al. Microplastics pollution in different aquatic environments and biota: A review of recent studies. Mar Pollut Bull. 2018 Aug 1;133:191–208.
Lee Y, Sohn J, Kim C. Health Effects of Microplastic Exposures: Current Issues and Perspectives in South Korea. Yonsei Med J. 2023;64(5):301–8.
Lalrinfela P, Vanlalsangi R, Lalrinzuali K, Babu PJ. Microplastics: Their effects on the environment, human health, and plant ecosystems. Environ Pollut Manag. 2024;1:248–59.
Payne K, O’Bryan CA, Marcy JA, Crandall PG. Detection and prevention of foreign material in food: A review. Heliyon. 2023 Sep 4;9(9):e19574.
Trafialek J, Kaczmarek S, Kolanowski W. The Risk Analysis of Metallic Foreign Bodies in Food Products. J Food Qual. 2016 Aug;39(4):398–407.
Sheeba VA, Rahim HU, Surendran U. Microplastic contamination in soil: Sources, identification, interaction, and risk assessment. In: Microplastics in Agriculture and Food Science [Internet]. Elsevier; 2025 [cited 2025 Jun 12]. p. 109–34. Available from: https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/B9780443222108000092
Graves M, Smith A, Batchelor B. Approaches to foreign body detection in foods. Trends Food Sci Technol. 1998;9(1):21–7.
Kong W, Zhang C, Liu F, Nie P, He Y. Rice Seed Cultivar Identification Using Near-Infrared Hyperspectral Imaging and Multivariate Data Analysis. Sens Basel. 2013;13(7):8916–27.
Haff RP, Toyofuku N. X-ray detection of defects and contaminants in the food industry. Sens Instrum Food Qual Saf. 2008 Dec 1;2(4):262–73.
Inamdar AA, Suresh DS. Application of color sorter in wheat milling. Int Food Res J. 2014;21(6):2083–9.
Hoffmann V, Moser C, Saak A. Food safety in low and middle-income countries: The evidence through an economic lens. World Dev. 2019 Nov 1;123:104611.
Mwambi M, Bijman J, Mshenga P, Oosting S. Adoption of food safety measures: The role of bargaining and processing producer organizations. NJAS Wagening J Life Sci. 2020 Dec 1;92(1):1–9.
Phillips M, Badrie N, Singh M. The National Food Control System in Guyana: Evaluation of the Current Regulatory Framework For Food Control Systems. In: International Conference on Emerging Trends in Engineering & Technology. University of the West Indies, St. Augustine; 2020. p. 35.
Gordon A. Introduction: effective implementation of food safety and quality systems: prerequisites and other considerations. In: Food Safety and Quality in Developing Countries [Internet]. Elsevier; 2017 [cited 2025 Jul 2]. p. 1–19. Available from: https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/B9780128012260000013
Government of Guyana. The Rice Factories Act Chapter 95:05 [Internet]. 1998. Available from: https://mola.gov.gy/laws/Volume%2018%20Cap.%2091.02%20-%2096.011695661047.pdf
Government of Guyana. The Guyana Rice Development Board Act Chapter 72:01 [Internet]. 1994. Available from: https://faolex.fao.org/docs/pdf/guy43219.pdf
Government of Guyana. Food Safety Act - Act No. 19 of 2019 [Internet]. 2019. Available from: https://faolex.fao.org/docs/pdf/guy201895.pdf
Swainson M. The food safety and quality management system (FS & QMS). In: Swainson’s Handbook of Technical and Quality Management for the Food Manufacturing Sector [Internet]. Elsevier; 2019 [cited 2025 Jul 2]. p. 29–46. Available from: https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/B9781782422754000034
Lawley R, Curtis L, Davis J. The Food Safety Hazard Guidebook [Internet]. 2nd ed. The Royal Society of Chemistry; 2012 [cited 2025 Jul 2]. Available from: https://books.rsc.org/books/book/987/The-Food-Safety-Hazard-Guidebook
Lorenzo LC. HACCP System Auditing for Food Safety [Internet]. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.; 2024 [cited 2025 Jul 2]. Available from: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/book/10.1002/9781394254750
Bühler. Food Safety at the Heart of Rice Processing [Internet]. 2014 [cited 2025 Jul 1]. Available from: https://www.food-safety.com/articles/2452-food-safety-at-the-heart-of-rice-processing
Mortimore S, Wallace C. Prerequisites for Food Safety: PRPs and Operational PRPs. In: HACCP - A Practical Approach [Internet]. Springer, Boston, MA; 2013 [cited 2025 Jul 4]. p. 113–54. Available from: https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-4614-5028-3_4
US Food & Drug Administration. HACCP Principles & Application Guidelines | FDA [Internet]. 2022 [cited 2025 Jul 4]. Available from: https://www-fda-gov.proxy.lib.umich.edu/food/hazard-analysis-critical-control-pointhaccp/haccp-principles-application-guidelines
Wallace CA, Sperber WH, Mortimore SE. Formalised Prerequisite Programmes in Practice. In: Food Safety for the 21st Century [Internet]. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd; 2018 [cited 2025 Jul 4]. p. 187–214. Available from: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/9781119053569.ch10
United Nations for Food and Agriculture. Manual on the Application of the HACCP System in Mycotoxin Prevention and Control [Internet]. 2003 [cited 2025 Jul 4]. Available from: https://www-faoorg.proxy.lib.umich.edu/4/y1390e/y1390e00.htm#Contents
Barach JT. What are the Essential Elements of a Food Safety System? In: FSMA and Food Safety Systems [Internet]. 2016 [cited 2025 Jul 4]. p. 21–33. Available from: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/9781119258094.ch3
Gordon A. Effective implementation of food safety and quality systems: prerequisites and other considerations. In: Food Safety and Quality Systems in Developing Countries [Internet]. Elsevier Inc.; 2016 [cited 2025 Jul 4]. p. 1–19. Available from: http://p5070-www.sciencedirect.com/book/9780128012260/food-safety-and-qualitysystems-in-developing-countries
Mortimore S, Wallace C. An introduction to hazards — their significance and control. In: HACCP A Practical Approach [Internet]. 1st ed. New York: Springer; 1994. p. 35–53. Available from: https://doiorg.proxy.lib.umich.edu/10.1007/978-1-4615-2063-4
Sharma P. Microplastic Contamination in Food Processing: Role of Packaging Materials. Food Sci Eng. 2024 Jul 4;271–87.
Sharma S, Sharma P, Bala N, Sharma A, Sharma M, Atri P, et al. Microplastics in soil and water: Unveiling environmental risks and implications. In: Advances in Food Security and Sustainability [Internet]. Elsevier; 2024 [cited 2025 Jul 5]. p. 75–101. Available from: https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S2452263524000156
Ziani K, Ioniță-Mîndrican CB, Mititelu M, Neacșu SM, Negrei C, Moroșan E, et al. Microplastics: A Real Global Threat for Environment and Food Safety: A State of the Art Review. Nutrients. 2023 Jan 25;15(3):617.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Narita Singh, Dharamdeo Singh, Bissessar Persaud, Bibi Ally Charles, Davon Van-Veen, Rajendra Persaud
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
