How do Filipino consumers view and value healthier rice?

IRRI scientists explored the perspective of Filipino consumers to see how they view and value healthier rice (brown, pigmented, and low-Glycemic Index rice), providing new insights on how it can find its place on their tables. 

By Danica Louise C. Sembrano

For many Filipinos, a meal without rice is simply incomplete. Rice has long been a staple in the Filipino household, making up for 36 percent of daily food intake and providing more than half of their energy needs every day. However, white rice, the most consumed type in the country, has a high glycemic index (GI), which causes blood sugar levels to spike rapidly. Combined with low dietary diversity, heavy reliance on white rice can increase the risks of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like heart disease and diabetes—two among the leading causes of death in the Philippines.

The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) has been making recent breakthroughs in developing healthier rice varieties, such as low-GI and biofortified rice. At the same time, the availability of brown rice and pigmented rice in the market continues to offer more nutritious alternatives. Yet today, these healthier rice types remain niche products, gaining limited traction among Filipino consumers.

IRRI scientists Marie Claire Custodio, Jhoanne Ynion, and Dr. Matty Demont, along with Ghent University’s Prof. Hans De Steur, delved into the perspectives of Filipino consumers to understand their perceptions of healthier rice and what could encourage them to give it a try.