Cagayan de oro city: The Department of Agriculture (DA) on Thursday issued a directive for stringent rice sampling and testing in response to concerns about potential mislabeling in key urban areas across the country. DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. emphasized the need for intensified verification efforts to safeguard Filipino consumers amid irregularities in rice trading practices.
According to Philippines News Agency, this order follows an initial report from the Bureau of Plant Industry's (BPI) Plant Product Safety Services Division. The report detailed rice quality analyses conducted on six samples from Cogon Market in Cagayan de Oro City and Commonwealth Market in Quezon City on June 11. The BPI's findings have prompted the DA to push for stricter traceability checks, validation of origin declarations, and closer monitoring of compliance with rice grading and labeling standards.
The BPI's monitoring efforts have uncovered potential mislabeling practices, raising concerns that some traders may be passing off imported rice as higher-priced local varieties to exploit retail market price differentials. Using the Philippine National Standard PNS/BAFS 290:2025, the agency identified "notable inconsistencies" between declared origin and classification results among the samples.
Of the six samples collected, three were consistent with their declared local origin. However, one sample, labeled as locally sourced, displayed characteristics more closely aligned with imported rice, suggesting possible substitution, misrepresentation, or relabeling along the supply chain. For samples from Commonwealth Market, two imported rice varieties were accurately identified and classified, indicating stronger compliance with milling quality standards.
The findings highlight a "widening gap" in quality and pricing dynamics, as cheaper imported rice may be repackaged or mislabeled as local to command higher prices. These results underscore the necessity for stricter enforcement of labeling rules, enhanced traceability systems, and tighter market surveillance to protect consumers from deceptive trade practices.
