RESOLVED AS IT IS HEREBY RESOLVED THAT, the NFA Council hereby approves to amend Letter Circular No. AO-2K4-07-001 on Iron Fortified Rice and Rice Based Products to consider the following in compliance with RA 8976, An Act Establishing the Food Fortification Program and for Other Purposes":

1. The implementation shall be done gradually or "phase by phase" according to the capability of the industry;

2. Rice fortification shall be the sole responsibility of the palay millers, rice importers and palay owners if rice is not owned by the millers; and

3. Any additional cost in fortifying rice shall be shouldered by the millers and not by the farmers.

(SGD.) OFELIA CORTEZ-REYES
Board Secretary

Notice

Iron Fortified Rice and Rice-Based Products Pursuant to
  R.A. 8976, "An Act Establishing the Food Fortification Program and Other
  Purposes" Its Implementing Rules and Regulations and NFA Letter-Circular
2004 No. AO-2K4-07-001 dated June 15, 2004

You are hereby informed that the mandatory fortification of rice with iron shall commence or start on 07 November 2004 and there will be no partial implementation thereof.

However, as a result of series of consultative meetings with the manufacturers and millers sector and all concerned by DOH-BFAD and the NFA, the following considerations were taken up and agreed upon.

1. A phase by phase implementation of the law is allowable in accordance with the capability of the industry.

2. Any additional cost of rice fortification shall not be borne by the farmers but the millers;

3. Compliance with the law on rice fortification shall be the sole responsibility of millers/importers or rice/palay owners if rice is not owned by the millers;

Any provisions of NFA Letter-Circular 2004 No. AO - 2K4-07-001 dated June 15, 2004, which are inconsistent with the above are deemed superseded.

Adopted: 04 Nov. 2004

(SGD.) ALEXANDER A. PADILLA
Undersecretary for Health Regulation
Department of Health

(SGD.) GREGORIO Y. TAN, JR.
Administrator