BACOLOD CITY, Negros Occidental, Philippines – The brand best known for its piayas, biscocho, and butterscotch would be selling rice as well. Or more specifically, Iron Fortified Rice.
CM & Sons Food Products, Inc., best known for its pasalubong under the Merzci Bread and Pastries brand, has launched its two new products that are soon to be available in the market: Iron Rice Premix, and Iron Fortified Rice.
“Mr. Jonathan Lo has seen the need to do something about the cases of malnutrition in the city, thus the new venture,” Merzci PR and Events Manager Femmy Lee tells DNX.
The two new products were launched last 18 August 2023 at the La Proa Ballroom of the L’Fisher Hotel. The Iron Rice Premix is a powdery blend that is used to make fortified rice. Iron-fortified rice is ordinary milled rice that has been blended with the premix.
The premix, and the iron fortified rice are created using technology by the Department of Science and Technology – Food and Nutrition Research Institute.
According to Dr. Alexis Ortiz of the DOST-FNRI, the creation of iron-fortified rice is aligned with Philippine Food Fortification Act of 2000 or RA 8976 which mandates that rice be fortified with iron to address the issue of malnutrition and iron-deficiency anemia.
Various scientific sources agree that iron-fortified rice has various health benefits. These include increasing hemoglobin by helping increase the protein molecules found in red blood cells so as to prevent iron-deficiency anemia in pregnant women.
The National Nutrition Council also added that it also helps strengthen the immune system, and helps the body absorb iron.
Lee says that Merzci’s Iron Rice will be made available in outlets soon.
