An effective measure to fight nutrient deficiency is to increase the nutrient content of food, particularly staples that are cheap to produce and widely consumed. Scientists do this by breeding crop varieties that are higher in iron, zinc, vitamins and other nutrients, a process called biofortification.
But many factors must align for biofortified crops to be successful. They need to grow at least as well as conventional varieties, seeds need to be produced and distributed at scale, and producers require incentives to adopt new varieties. Most importantly, consumers need to actually want to eat the new varieties. And if they are willing to pay more for them, this can help incentivize higher production.
A zinc-enhanced rice variety released in Colombia seems to tick all those boxes. A blind study of 400 consumers in Cartagena, a city on Colombia's Caribbean coast where zinc deficiency is pervasive, found they considered biofortified rice to have the same quality as commercial varieties. In some cases, they even preferred it, and that was without knowing about its increased zinc content.
When the people in the study were informed the rice had more zinc than standard rice and of the associated health benefits, consumers said they were willing to pay more for it. They placed a 41% premium on biofortified rice over standard rice and a 12% premium over other premium rice.
"The findings show that biofortified rice in Colombia has high potential to be successfully promoted, more widely consumed, and improve the health of consumers," said Robert Andrade, a co-author of the study published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Research in May.
Andrade, a researcher at the Alliance of Bioversity and CIAT, and colleagues research in 2023, a year of high food inflation in Colombia. Finding increased "willingness to pay" even under economic duress further underscores consumer demand for access to healthy food.
"These findings should encourage research investors and governments implementing nutrition programs to increase support for biofortification research," Andrade said.
Collaborators included Fundación Canal del Dique COMPAS , which played a key role in releasing the rice variety, and Colombia's extended education organization, the Servicio Nacional de Aprendizaje ( SENA ), which helped facilitate the research.
Rice on target
In 2021, Colombia officially released the biofortified rice variety BIOZn035 (which is not genetically modified) through Fedearroz, the national rice producers' association. Authorities approved the rice for Colombia's Caribbean region, where zinc deficiency is 41% among children aged 1-4, one of the highest levels in the country.
Zinc deficiency is linked to several developmental problems, and rates this high make it a major public health concern.
BIOZn035 was developed byCIAT (now the Alliance) and the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development, or , developed BIOZn035. Their work was informed by research on zinc deficiency and socioeconomic studies in Colombia's Caribbean region. Initially, they hoped to create a zinc-rich variety that women and heads of households would incorporate into meal planning. Researchers said that market intelligenceCIRAD. Their work was informed by research on zinc deficiency and socioeconomic studies in Colombia's Caribbean region. Initially, they hoped to create a zinc-rich variety that women and heads of households would incorporate into meal planning. Researchers said that market intelligence
"Starting with an understanding of community needs and food preferences were critical to knowing what traits the rice needed to have," said Carolina Gonzalez, thematic leader on Foresight and Applied Economics for Impact at the Alliance. "One challenge biofortified crops can face is a lack of alignment with people's taste preferences. Fortunately, this variety has traits for both nutrition and consumption."
Research varies on how much additional zinc people consume when eating biofortified rice, but numerous studies point to significant increases.
Lab and field research , including at 12 locations in Colombia, found that biofortified rice had 62.5% more zinc content than standard rice.
The rice's launch coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic. Between 2000 and 2024, farmers used 15.6 tons of seeds to produce 785 tons of rice for consumption. Yields were on par with standard rice. This year, Fedearroz is ramping up seed production and is increasingly promoting the variety.
The biofortified rice is part of long-term work by CGIAR centers like the Alliance to produce biofortified crops. CGIAR's biofortified crops include beans, cassava, maize, sweat potato and wheat.
Ongoing biofortification research at the Alliance is focused on increasing zinc content for rice varieties adapted to other rice-growing regions in the country. (While zinc deficiency is highest in Colombia's Caribbean areas, it is a nationwide problem with zinc deficiency as high as 25%. Rice is a major staple in Colombian diets.)
"Colombia is facing persistent hunger and nutrition challenges, particularly in rural and coastal areas," said Maria Fernanda Alvarez, Director of the Alliance's Crops for Nutrition and Health research area. "Our current collaborations on biofortification hope to provide farmers and the government with more options that can replicate the successes of BIOZn035."
Beyond biofortification
While biofortified rice is one route to improved nutrition, rice can have a high glycemic index (GI), meaning it cranks up blood-sugar levels after consumption. (Though GI levels in rice can vary widely and are generally lower in rice in Latin America when compared to Asia, for example.) High consumption of foods with high GI are linked to type 2 diabetes, a major global health threat tied to a lack of diversity in diets.
Alvaro Durand-Morat, the study lead author and an agricultural economist at the University of Arkansas, said part of his team's current research found that consumers in the Philippines would happily switch from rice to another food to reduce diabetes risk. But most alternatives are also high-GI offenders.
"Work on biofortification needs to continue but we need to move beyond just increasing the nutrient content of staples," said Durand-Morat, pointing to a growing emphasis among staple crop breeders (the professionals who develop new crop varieties) to work on varieties with lower GIs.
"It's difficult to change consumption patterns," said Durand-Morat. "And people without the economic means to eat different foods don't really have options. It makes more sense to improve the overall health of the foods they already eat and have most readily available."
Takeaways to improve nutrition and food security
The research provides a useful roadmap for Colombia and other nations as they work to improve nutrition and food security:
- The study finds that consumers, even when budgets are tight, will pay extra for biofortified staples, provided they enjoy the taste and texture. This should encourage policymakers and industry to incentivize the production, distribution, and commercialization of healthier staples.
- Researchers recommend that the promotion of biofortified rice target women and families with young children, particularly because of the health risks zinc deficiency poses for resource-poor families.
- Finally, governments and funders of research for development should increase support for improving staple foods for nutrition.
"The point of the study is to show that science can help people live better, healthier lives, even if they have economic constraints," Durand-Morat said.
