New food products to boost livelihood in Antique

development of new food products from the province of Antique is seen to provide livelihood to micro, small and medium (MSME) enterprises in the area, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) said.

In a statement, JICA said the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)Antique sought the assistance of Japanese volunteers for the development of new food products.

Michi Kurihara, a volunteer of JICA, was tapped to work with nine MSME associations in Antique to help develop new product lines or variances from existing processed food using muscovado, tomato sauce, peanut cookies, and condiments for noodles using flying fish as raw material.

Kurihara, a Food Science major from Tokyo University of Agriculture, said the flying fishderived condiments may be sold to local restaurants in Panay Island that serve Japanese food.

In Japan, flying fish is considered a culinary staple which when fried can be an ingredient for ‘washoku’ or Japanese dishes. It may also be used for seasoning as well as for various culinary dishes like Ramen or Udon.

With the Philippines’ rising restaurant culture, the flying fish presents a niche for MSMEs in Antique.

The DTI and Kurihara are planning to hold cooking demonstrations in hotels and restaurants in Antique to explore new markets and generate feedback from potential customers.

“It’s also very cheap to source flying fish in Antique and by establishing a cooperation mechanism among DTI, Department of Science and Technology (DOST), and local government units. Flying fish can be further developed as a potential food product,” Kurihara said.

“I hope to help the province improve food safety standards and connect MSME producers to relevant government agencies to support product development and marketing needs,” she added.

DTI senior trade and industry development specialist Ma. Arlene Galopo expressed gratitude to Kurihara for advocating good manufacturing practices among food processors in Antique.

“She is a big help as we finalize the proposal for shared services facility for food processing and toll packaging compliant to FDA’s food safety standards. This facility will help micro entrepreneurs enter the mainstream market by complying with buyer requirements,” Galopo said.

JICA assists and supports developing countries as the executing agency of Japanese Official Development Assistance, which handles technical cooperation, ODA loans and investments, and grants aid.