Rice, the national staple, is offered free as an accompaniment to burgers and fried chicken by Jollibee as well as international rivals McDonald’s and Kentucky Fried Chicken.

But much is wasted and the government called on restaurants last month to offer half-portions of rice as an alternative.

“Less than 1 percent of our customers have taken that option,” said a store manager at a fast-food outlet in Makati, the business district of the capital Manila.

The Philippines, one of the world’s biggest importers of rice, is struggling to source supplies of up to 2.2 million tonnes this year as prices climb due to rising demand and tight inventories around the globe.

Eric Depena, 35, who ordered a full portion of rice to go with two pieces of chicken, said he was not worried about the reported rice shortage but that he had seen that the price had risen significantly in the shops.

“At home, my wife and I now share the cost of our rice purchases with my brother and his wife,” Depena said as he took a spoonful of rice with the crispy chicken.

Tita Nudo, a 60-year-old teacher, said she had been careful to not waste food even before the rice supply problem came up.

“That is why I always tell my grandchildren to only take what they can finish because I hate wasting rice,” she said, finishing her meal at a Jollibee outlet.

Subscribe to The China Post and save.  Click hereSharePrintEmail

Write a Comment

Enter your comments - 800 characters max

Receive China Post promos

Respond to this email