The Philippines will showcase the country’s provenance through its tropical selections made from coconut and banana under the theme “A Bounty of Flavors.”
Nine Philippine companies will showcase their organic food selections in the 31st edition of Biofach on Feb. 12 to 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.
The FoodPhilippines pavilion will feature a wide range of coconut selection 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 through the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions, in coordination with the Philippine Trade and Investment Center in Berlin.
“We are looking to showcase the wealth of food and ingredients from the agricultural provenance and natural resources in the Philippines that enhances the flavor of our products as we promote healthy, organic and natural selections for the global palate,” said DTI Undersecretary Abdulgani Macatoman.
“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.
Macatoman said the Philippine delegation is 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 (aged 50 to 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,” said Macatoman.
The Philippine participation in Biofach is one of CITEM’s new initiatives in its renewed thrust to strengthen the country’s export promotion for food products in the organic, healthy and natural segment through the world’s leading platform for organic food and products.
Macatoman said all organic foods that will be exhibited are certified under the European Union Organic Regulation and passed the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements accreditation guidelines.