Philippine Food Expo showcases ‘Best of Filipino Flavors’

THE PHILIPPINE FOOD Processors and Exporters Organization (Philfoodex) put its best food forward once more with the holding of the recent 16th Philippine Food Expo, the country’s leading all-Filipino food and beverage show.

Themed “The Best of Filipino Flavors”, the 3-day exhibit held at the World Trade Center Metro Manila featured 320 exhibitor firms from export-ready food and beverage, local delicacies, franchising opportunities, and equipment, packaging and food technology solutions.

Guests of honor at the opening ceremonies included Senator Cynthia Villar, Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel, Jr., Department of Trade and Industry Undersecretary Cristina Roque, and Department of Tourism Undersecretary Ferdinand C. Jumapao.

Co-presented by the DA, the expo also featured the DA’s key programs through a pavilion exhibit representing the best farm produce from across the country’s different regions. The DA also put the spotlight on the Young Farmers Challenge, which seeks to empower young agriculturists to take an active role in the government’s food security thrust.

Philfoodex is the country’s leading food association with around 250 members, and it is recognized by the business sector and the government as the voice of food manufacturers and exporters.

Its second expo in the post-pandemic era, the event provided a comprehensive platform for business-to-business and business-to-consumers transactions. Visitors who flocked to the event were treated to student culinary competitions, live cooking demonstrations by celebrity chefs, product demos, interactive workshops and seminars, and product samplings, among others.

Philfoodex also renewed its partnership with UnionBank to boost local micro, small and mediumsized enterprises (MSMEs) who took part in the expo. With the partnership, local food processors, exporters and MSMEs were able to access a wide range of online banking services such as hassle-free digital onboarding, account management, money transfer, and banking security.