A PROPOSAL to offer half-cup rice servings in restaurants will not just cut wastage but will also help lower the country’s rice importation and healthcare costs, according to the Department of Agriculture (DA).
The DA in a statement on Tuesday said the revival of the half-cup rice initiative, first proposed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in 2013 back when he was a senator, will ease the financial strain on rice imports and healthcare costs.
“This isn’t just about food security, it’s about sustainability and public health,” said DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel.
Citing data from the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), the DA said household rice wastage stood at 255,000 metric tons (MT) in 2019, down from 340,000 MT in 2009.
The DA said the current levels of rice wastage could feed 2.8 million Filipinos annually.
The agency also cited a 2018-2019 Food and Nutrition Research Institute survey which showed the average Filipino household wastes 53 grams of cooked rice daily, equivalent to 6.4 grams of uncooked rice per person which excludes wastage from restaurants and other establishments, making the total potentially higher.
John de Leon, PhilRice executive director, said rice overconsumption has been linked to the rising prevalence of diabetes in the Philippines.
De Leon cited data from the International Diabetes Federation which showed that in 2021, one in 14 Filipinos had diabetes.
Raul Montemayor, national manager of the Federation of Free Farmers, said less rice wastage could lower costs for restaurants and eventually lower prices for clients.
“Less wastage also means less imports and consumers must give due respect to the rice that farmers worked hard to produce and not just throw it away,” Montemayor said.
Danilo Fausto, Philippine Chamber of Agriculture and Food Inc. president, said the group has always been advocating for the half-cup rice serving.
“While we are trying to solve our rice supply by improving our productivity, we should likewise focus our attention on the problem of demand. Restaurant customers should therefore be given a choice to order full or half cup rice. We should rally our citizens/consumers to eat less rice to ease the burden of meeting the demand for rice,” Fausto said.
