The National Food Authority in Negros Occidental conducted an advocacy forum on iron-fortified rice for 33 licensed grains retailers and operators from San Carlos City, Toboso and Calatrava, Wednesday.

Cynthia Luz Chua, NFA senior grains operations officer, yesterday said the forum aims to promote the selling and consumption of I-rice, especially to communities where there is a high rate of malnourished children.

She said the NFA is promoting  I-rice to let consumers know of its nutritional facts that will help address the problems of malnutrition among school children.

The forum participants were briefed about Republic Act 8976 or the Philippine Food Fortification Act of 2000 and the role of NFA in implementing provisions of this law, Chua also said.

Chua said they recently conducted a feeding program that benefited 1,200 school children of Banago Elementary School 1 and 2 using the I-Rice. The program is funded by the United Nations Children Fund, she added.

        She also encouraged the public to buy I-Rice at P27 per kilo from their accredited grains retailers.

        I-Rice is a mixture of while milled rice and iron rice premix (I-Mix) that is processed through fortification. About 4 to 5 grams of I-Mix is mixed with 1 kilogram of milled rice, Chua added. *LTG

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