The Department of Agriculture (DA) teamed up with FarmFresh Products Inc. to launch instant packed-pinakbet and chop suey under theAdopt-A-Town, Adopt-A-Farmer program on Oct. 13 at the Bureau of Soils and Water Management Convention Hall in Quezon City.
The program aims to help enhance food mobilization nationwide by tapping local farmers as suppliers of fresh produce and then linking them to restaurants and other institutional buyers.
“We will try to manage food wastage especially during times of bumper harvest when produce are in excess of the usual consumption and demand of consumers. During the wet season, we will have enough stocks of vegetable that can be stored longer using the blast freeze technology. FarmFresh will finance and buy fresh produce direct from the farmers,” said FarmFresh president and former Candaba, Pampanga Mayor Jerry Pelayo.
The Adopt-A-Town, Adopt-A-Farmer program is also designed to help combat malnutrition by producing healthy, affordable meals without any preservatives or additives.
FarmFresh said a pack of viand is good for five people. The packed food can be consumed after immersing the package in hot water for about 8 minutes.
Agriculture Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban said the affordable and nutrition-packed vegetables would be available year-round.
“In this day and age, and with the fast-paced way of living of people especially in the urban areas, convenience is indeed becoming a trend. Moreover, the launching of these products is one way of addressing the oversupply of vegetables. This is such a great opportunity to showcase the collaborations of the public and private sector for the benefit of the Filipino people,” he said.