Hunan rice sales plummet on contamination reports

Rice sales in Hunan province have plummeted after some supplies were found to have unsafe levels of the toxic metal cadmium, Bloomberg reported. Sales have dropped more than half compared to a year ago after local media first reported on the tainted rice being discovered in Guangdong province in February, according to Cngrain.com, which is owned by state-run custodian of food reserves China Grain Reserves. Guangzhou Food and Drug Administration revived concerns by reporting last week that rice in the city’s markets tested positive for cadmium. Hunan produced 25 million tons of rice in 2011, which amounted to 12.8% of the country’s total.