PH food exporters set to showcase products at Biofach 2020

Nine Philippine companies will showcase their organic food selections during the 31st edition of Biofach on Feb. 12-15, 2020, at Hall 3-A-511 of the Exhibition Centre Nuremberg, Germany.

Local producers and manufacturers that will represent the Philippines in Germany are AG Pacific Nutriceuticals Corp., Brandexports Philippines, Cardinal Agri Products, CJ Uniworld Corp., Filipinas Organic Coconut Product Corp., Lao Integrated Farms Inc., See’s International, Raw Brown Sugar Milling Co., Inc. and Tongsan Industrial Development Corp.

Under the theme “A Bounty of Flavors,” the FoodPhilippines pavilion will feature a wide range of coconut selections such as virgin coconut oil, medium-chain triglycerides oil, coconut water, coconut sap, vinegar and vinaigrette, coco syrup, sugar and flour, desiccated coconut, coconut cream and coco crisps. Also featured in the pavilion are banana chips, cacao chips and muscovado sugar.The delegation will be led by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), through the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (Citem), in coordination with the Philippine Trade and Investment Center (PTIC) in Berlin.

“We are looking to showcase the wealth of food and ingredients from the agricultural provenance and natural resources in the Philippines that enhance the flavor of our products as we promote healthy, organic and natural selections for the global palate,” said Abdulgani Macatoman, DTI undersecretary for the Trade Promotion Group.

“For instance, our lakes and seas near Laguna and Quezon enhance the taste of our coconut water—making it more refreshing—while the apt tropical conditions in Cebu, Bukidnon and Davao help in nurturing sweeter and more sumptuous varieties of mango, pineapple and banana. It’s these conditions and provenance that make the Philippines a cut above the rest,” he said.

In this participation, Macatoman said the delegation was looking to meet the “regular buyers” and the “light buyers,” which are two consumer clusters of organic, healthy and natural products.

The regular buyers refer to a small and committed group that has been buying organic products for decades. This group includes environmentalists, nature lovers and socially conscious people. Meanwhile, light buyers are those who belong in the category of double-income-no-kids households, older consumers (age 50-75) and new-trends seekers.

“Apart from our corporate buyers, we are also looking at these two clusters who buy organic products for various reasons, including healthy lifestyle, food safety concerns, animal welfare, sustainability, quality and perceived taste and innovative packaging,” Macatoman noted.