An exploratory market study of brown rice as a health food in the Philippines

Brown rice has been known to be a health food containing more nutrients than white rice. This product has been reintroduced in the Philippines focusing on but not limited to its health values, since the consumption of brown rice also has positive economic and ecological effects. Many studies have documented the health benefits in consuming brown rice. Having known these benefits, this paper aims to determine the level of distribution and the motives and purchasing and consumption behavior on brown rice with the end view of overcoming barriers to and taking advantage of opportunities for its sustained demand. It was found that brown rice is available in both the Los Banos and Manila markets. The Manila outlets, however offer more brands, packaging sizes, and implement more aggressive marketing strategies as compared to the Los Banos outlets. The consumer research conducted in Los Banos revealed that health reasons motivate the buyers to purchase and consume brown rice. They consider nutritive value and organicity as important attributes of the product. The positioning of brown rice as a health product should therefore be strengthened through more information campaigns. The consumers generally liked the product and used this as a substitute for or mixed with white rice. However, their concern for health and their level of liking for brown rice were not directly manifested in their purchase and consumption behavior for the product. The current buyers are still occasional buyers and occasional users of brown rice. There are underlying issues beyond health that should be addressed like convenience in preparation and cooking, eating quality and availability. The general level of liking and the increasing familiarity of consumers with brown rice present opportunities that could be tapped. To deal with the issue in cooking time and eating quality, and to eventually sustain demand, more uses and products using brown rice as key ingredient have to be developed and introduced to the consumers.