Marcos cites benefits, need for food production technologies upgrade

MANILA, Philippines — There is a need to further study and improve technologies that can accelerate the production of common food products with added nutritional value, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said on Thursday.

He made the remarks after inspecting the Nutridense Food Manufacturing Corporation in Sta. Barbara, Pangasinan.

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“Now, ang isa sa pinakamalaking problema na lagi natin hinaharap, marami tayong mga magagaling na scientist, marami tayong mga researchers, pero mula sa laboratoryo hanggang sa manufacturing, ‘yung pag-scale up ng production, ‘yun ang kailangan talagang pag-aralan,” the President said in a brief media statement.

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(Now, one of the biggest challenges we consistently face is that while we have many talented scientists and researchers, the transition from the laboratory to manufacturing—specifically scaling up production—is what really needs to be studied.)

Nutridense adopted modern technologies with the assistance of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Small Enterprises Technology Upgrading Program (SETUP) and the DOST–Food and Nutrition Research Institute.

It has expanded its production of complementary food products, fortified rice and rice-based products, biscuits, cookies, and other food items suitable for feeding programs and disaster response.

Under SETUP, micro, small, and medium enterprises gain access to technology, equipment, training, and product development assistance to enhance their production capacity and product quality. 

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“So, this is the kind of operation that we need. So that not only are we able to supply – not only are we able to secure our food supply, but also we are providing our children especially with proper nutrition. And that is in the formulation of these products that they have,” Marcos said.

“Although they look like ordinary, ito parang biskwit lang na may kaunting palaman, pero dinagdagan nila ng nutrients. Ito pa, this is another one. Imbis na ‘yung mga junk food, ito, ang tingin niyo junk food, pero it’s not junk food because it’s very healthy for you, it’s good for the children,” he added, referring to one of Nutridense’s products.

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(They might look ordinary—like a simple biscuit with a bit of filling—but they’ve been fortified with nutrients. Here’s another thing: instead of junk food—well, you might mistake this for junk food, but it isn’t; it’s actually very healthy and good for children.)

Feeding program, YAKAP

After the facility inspection, Marcos visited Sta. Barbara Central School to oversee the implementation of the Department of Education’s School-Based Feeding Program, as well as the “Yaman ng Kalusugan” (YAKAP) and Kalinga Caravan initiatives.

Under the feeding program, students needing additional nutrition receive healthy meals; this included 50 severely wasted or undernourished learners who were provided with hot meals and nutrition packs produced by Nutridense. 

Meanwhile, approximately 200 students, parents, and teachers benefited from free consultations, medical and dental check-ups, medicines, and PhilHealth registration and updating services provided by the YAKAP and Kalinga Caravan.