Manila, June 18 -- The Department of Agriculture (DA) on Thursday ordered stringent rice sampling and testing to address the potential mislabeling in key urban areas in the country.

DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. issued the order following the initial report of the Bureau of Plant Industry's (BPI) Plant Product Safety Services Division on rice quality analyses conducted on six milled rice samples from Cogon Market in Cagayan de Oro City and Commonwealth Market in Quezon City on June 11.

In a statement, DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. called for intensified verification efforts to protect Filipino consumers amid irregularities in rice trading practices.

"We need further testing and validation to ensure consumers are not be...