BOGOTA, COLOMBIA – Earlier this year, Colombia’s Ministry of Health and Social Protection published a draft resolution to amend Colombia’s nutritional guidelines including a proposal to reduce the recommended rice serving by 40 percent, from 50 grams of uncooked rice to 30 grams. As this document was open for international public consultation, USA Rice submitted comments in April highlighting the nutritional profile of rice and that it is a healthy, cholesterol-free, sodium-free, sugar-free, non-processed food that is part of a healthy, nutritious diet.
“In the absence of any science-based justification for endorsing a reduction in rice consumption, we advised that the recommended portion of rice remain unchanged at 50 grams, as defined in Resolution 333 from 2011,” said USA Rice President & CEO Betsy Ward in the letter.
According to Colombia’s Quality of Life Survey of the National Administrative Department of Statistics (DANE), annual per capita rice consumption in Colombia is about 95 pounds of uncooked rice, which is approximately one quarter pound of uncooked rice per person per day, or 117 grams. These rates are typically higher in rural areas and on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, but the proposed daily consumption reduction to 30 grams would be almost one quarter of the amount consumed by the average Colombian.
The Ministry of Health and Social Protection recently agreed to keep the recommended portion of rice consumption at 50 grams in uncooked form.
Colombia typically produces about 90 percent of the rice they consume, importing 100,000 – 250,000 tons per year. The U.S. has a trade agreement with Colombia which allows 117,402 tons of U.S. rice to enter Colombia duty-free in 2021.