4. Conclusion
There was a moderate level of acceptance of I-Rice from respondents of five (5) surveyed schools.
Results revealed that there were no significant differences in the acceptance ratings of the sensory
attributes of I-Rice samples evaluated by 2,442 respondents except for odor, which the Filipinos are very
particular to. Nonetheless, the ratings on the overall acceptability of rice were the same regardless of
whether the school is a participant of the FSP or not. Correlation analysis showed that age, educational
attainment, amount of rice consumption and their willingness to buy I-Rice have significant relationship
with acceptance. Among the age groups, respondents between 25 to 44 years old gave high acceptance
rating of I-Rice considering its health benefits. In terms of the level of education, those with high level are
more selective, thus respondents with lower educational level gave higher acceptance rating. Most of the
respondents who gave high acceptance rating for I-Rice in terms of the amount of rice consumption
belonged to the low-income group. They were willing to buy I-Rice indicating that they favor rice
innovation through fortification thus were very willing to try it. Gender of the respondents also showed to
have significant difference with each other with respect to overall liking. Women gave high acceptance
rating with notion that women are the usual victims of IDA. These findings showed that acceptance of IRice
could be influenced by socio-demographic profiles of the consumers.