Deficiencies in iron and zinc are the most pervasive forms of malnutrition. DA-PhilRice, in partnership with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), is leading the work on High Iron and Zinc Rice (HIZR) as a novel, food-based approach to complement current interventions that aim to alleviate iron and zinc deficiencies.
Iron and zinc deficiencies
Iron and zinc are among the essential micronutrients needed for growth and development. Iron and zinc deficiencies are the most pervasive forms of malnutrition worldwide and are key causes of anemia and stunting. According to the 2021 Global Nutrition Report, an estimated 30% of the world’s population is anemic and 162 million children under the age of five are stunted.
Iron deficiency can affect productivity and cause serious health consequences, including impaired mental development and learning capacity, increased weakness and fatigue, and adverse pregnancy outcomes. Similarly, zinc deficiency is a major cause of stunting among children, putting them at risk of compromised cognitive development and physical capability, and a weak immune system.
In the Philippines, data from the 2023 National Nutrition Survey (NNS) shows that iron and zinc deficiencies continue to be a public health issue across all age groups, with iron as the micronutrient with the lowest supply in the typical Filipino diet. Anemia affects 2 in every 10 (21.8%) pregnant women and 2 in every 10 (17.2%) older persons. Meanwhile, stunting continues to affect 2 in every 10 (23.6%) children under five years old.
Updates on the development of HIZR in the Philippines
HIZR contains significantly higher levels of iron and zinc available in the grain, developed through genetic engineering by enhancing a rice gene and adding an apple gene to the rice genome. HIZR is intended to complement existing nutrition interventions for anemia and stunting, which is a severe public health problem affecting children under 5.
Despite low levels of nutrients available in ordinary rice, it continues to be the top source of iron among Filipinos because of the large quantities of rice consumed daily. As such, improving the iron and zinc stores of rice has the potential to significantly improve the nutritional status of Filipinos.
HIZR has undergone confined testing for two events, IRS-1030-031 and IRS-1030-039 on June 20, 2020. Results from these tests demonstrate the high iron and zinc content of the crop as well as its desirable agronomic performance. The successful confined tests advance the project towards the next step of the regulatory process.
On 30 May 2022, DA-PhilRice submitted an application to the DA-Bureau of Plant Industry (DA-BPI) and subsequently conducted the HIZR field trial for the above-mentioned events. The field trial was carried out to generate environmental data for assessment and compositional analysis data for succeeding regulatory applications, as well as to harvest seeds for future field trials, as needed.
DA-PhilRice submitted the technical dossier for regulatory applications for direct use as food, feed, or for processing and commercial propagation to the DA-BPI on 24 October 2025. The Public Information Sheet can be accessed here.
After completing all the necessary biosafety regulatory approvals, the goal is to stack Golden Rice and HIZR traits to develop a “3-in-1” biofortified rice variety with vitamin A, iron and zinc. By doing so, our target communities with multiple micronutrient deficiencies will receive the added nutritional benefit of three essential micronutrients in just one type of rice.
For more information on the HIZR project, please visit our FAQ page.
(November 6, 2025)
