A new lawsuit alleges that rice sold to multiple sushi restaurants in California may have been "tainted" with ingredients like insects, rodent droppings, and black mold, CBS News reports.
Attorney Brian Kabateck told CBS2 that the rice is contaminated with "flush," a.k.a. ingredients you definitely shouldn't be eating. The case claims that Farmer's Rice Cooperative sold the flush rice to thousands of California grocery stores and local restaurants.
According to the complaint, Farmer's Rice Cooperative would "allow substances, such as insects, rodents and their soiling, bird remains, and black mold to be present in its processed rice." The complaint also states that the restaurants and store owners thought they were purchasing U.S. No. 1 Extra Fancy rice, not the contaminated varieties they reportedly received. "This rice, although they claim it's sushi grade, is as little as 15 percent sushi grade, and it's adulterated with other inferior rices," Kabateck told CBS.
"Disposing flush rice by blending it with food-grade rice unfairly allowed defendants to obtain a profit from rice that could not be legally sold for human consumption," states the complaint. Meanwhile, Farmer's Rice Cooperative denied the charges on Tuesday night.