The shortest way to better nutrition is still through the stomach.
In a fresh effort to bring down the high incidence of iron deficiency anemia (IDA) among adults and children, especially schoolchildren, the Philippine Council for Industry and Energy Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology has added the development of Iron Rice Premix (IRP) and Iron-Fortified Rice (IFR) in its mix of nutritional value-adding and food fortification program.
DOST’s Food and Nutrition Research Institute, which has developed IRP and IFR are currently testing the nutrition-enriched rice combinations in eight of 23 barangays [villages] in Orion town, Bataan.
The municipal government has passed an ordinance that spells out the regulatory mechanism for the sale of iron-fortified rice in all stores and food establishments in the Central Luzon town of 49,164 population or 8,735 households.
The municipal government has passed an ordinance that spells out the regulatory mechanism for the sale of iron-fortified rice in all stores and food establishments in the Central Luzon town of 49,164 population or 8,735 households.
IDA is a common, easily treated condition, PCIERD noted. Iron-fortified foods can rapidly increase iron level in the body.
Low iron levels are traced to blood loss, poor diet, or inability of the body to absorb enough iron from foods. "Anemia" usually refers to a condition in which blood has a lower than normal number of red blood cells. Red blood cells carry oxygen and remove carbon dioxide (a waste product) from the body.
Anemia can also occur if red blood cells do not contain enough hemoglobin, an iron-rich protein that helps carry oxygen to the body.
Iron-deficiency anemia usually develops gradually if the body doesn’t have enough iron to build healthy red blood cells. With inadequate iron, the body starts using stored iron which, when used up, the body struggles to produce enough red blood cells.
IDA can cause fatigue, shortness of breath, and chest pain, among other symptoms. Severe IDA can lead to heart problems, infections, growth and development problems in children, and other complications.
Those at highest IDA risk include infants and young children, women, and adults who suffer internal bleeding. While it can be easily treated, IDA treatment depends on the cause and severity. Treatments may include changes in one’s diet, medicines, and surgery. The best iron sources are meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and iron-fortified foods.
In Orion, IFR is produced, temporarily in a warehouse owned by town Mayor Antonio L. Raymundo, Jr., by mixing three 50-kilo sacks of rice and 750 grams of IFR. High grade and low grade rice from the National Food Authority are used in the study.
Each two-kilo pack of low grade and high grade IFR is sold at P37 and P55, respectively. The rice premix is manufactured and distributed by Superlative Snacks, Inc. through FNRI.
In nearby Nueva Ecija province, JD Aguilar Ricemill also produces and sells commercial IFR at P28 per kilo.
