Senator Cynthia Villar has called for a ban on the serving of unlimited rice or ‘unli-rice’ in restaurants.
Villar, chair of the Senate committee on agriculture and food, made the call during a hearing on rice importation on Wednesday saying it will help end importing rice.
The senator also urged consumers to eat brown rice instead of well-milled rice.
“We should not encourage (eating) well-milled rice. Kung pwedeng brown rice, brown rice na lang. Kasi pag kinain mo, mabigat sa tiyan, konti lang nakakain mo,” the senator was quoted by Inquirer.net as saying during the hearing.
Villar also urged food establishments to encourage customers to consume more vegetables.
“I think we should learn how to eat vegetables because it’s healthier. Kasi sasabihin mas mura ang rice sa vegetables eh ang mahal naman magpagamot ng diabetes,” said Villar.
On Thursday, Villar clarified her statement saying she did not want to ban serving of unli rice but was only concerned about the health of Filipinos as eating too much rice increases the risk of getting diabetes or complicates the disease.
Meanwhile, Department of Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol had said that his agency aims to achieve self-sufficiency in rice by 2020 to minimize importation of the grain.
But Villar said rice sufficiency is only possible if local rice production will meet the demand for the staple.
credit: tyoumiryouuriba.seesaa.net
