Local government units from the provinces down to municipalities have been enjoined to scale up rice fortification for local social safety net programs, including feeding programs and disaster relief operations.
In Memorandum Circular No. 2022-089 dated June 28, 2022, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said this is in response to the call of the National Nutrition Council (NNC) to scale up rice fortification in the country and as part of the efforts of the Inter-Agency Trask Force on Zero Hunger (IATF-ZH) to combat hunger and malnutrition.
The NNC recently noted the high prevalence of anemia, caused by an iron-deficient diet, affecting 43% of Filipino children 6-11 months old, 30% of those 12-23 months old, 13% of pre-school children and 12% of school-aged children. It also affects 23% and 13% of pregnant and lactating women, it added, along with nearly 19% of the elderly.
Republic Act 8976, or the Philippine Food Fortification Act of 2000, mandates the fortification of staple foods, such as rice with iron, sugar and cooking oil with vitamin A, and wheat flour wih iron and vitamin A.
Under the DILG directive, all provinces, cities and municipalities are strongly urged to use iron-fortified rice for their social safety net programs such as for disaster relief and rehabilitation and for their own feeding programs, and for use in their canteens, hospitals and meetings.
“Use and consumption of fortified food, such as iron-fortified rice, shall be carried out to compensate for the inadequacies in the Filipino diet, based on present-day needs as measured using the most recent Recommended Energy and Nutrient Intake (RENI) for Filipinos,” then DILG Secretary Eduardo Ano stated.
LGUs shall assist national agencies in implementing the National Feeding Program by using a portion of their Special Education Fund (SEF) and/or their 20% Development Fund and by integrating rice fortification in their Local Nutrition Action Plans and development plans.
Pursuant to RA 8976, it shall likewise assist in the monitoring of foods mandated to be fortified in public markets, retail stores and food service establishments, with one official to check if the labels of fortified products contain nutrition facts stating the nutrient added and its quantity.
The local government are also mandated to enact ordinances in support of rice fortification and promote the program to farmers groups, cooperatives and rice millers.
In the Bicol region, LGUs may procure iron-fortified rice from CamSur Multi-Purpose Cooperative, Zone 4, Cadlan, Pili, Camarines Sur with contact numbers 0936-921-0344, 0917-514-4796 and 0998-985-1252 or email camsur.mpc@gmail.com.