The country’s rice consumption may have slightly decreased, but rice wastage remains literally on the plate of millions of Filipinos.
The Be RICEponsible Campaign of the Department of Agriculture-PhilRice has been urging rice consumers to watch their intake not only for better health, but also to prevent rice wastage. This was after the release of the 2016 report of the Philippine Statistics Authority citing an average individual wastage of around 335 grams from annual leftover.
The PSA report only accounted for the leftover on plates after eating and did not include those intentionally cooked and fed to house pets.
“We can see the figures in grams per person, but when combined, the daily rice wastage can feed more than 312,000 mouths per day. That’s a population of an average-sized municipality,” said Be RICEponsible Campaign director Myriam Layaoen.
Aside from promoting healthier rice consumption, the Be RICEponsible Campaign also encourages Filipinos to shoo away from wasting or spoiling rice. (PNA)