As part of its culminating activity to celebrate International Year of Fruits and Vegetables (IYFV) as well as World Food Day this month, East-West Seed (EWS) Philippines officially unveiled its digital cookbook featuring healthy recipes from consumers across the country, with the aim of raising awareness of the health benefits of consuming more fruits and vegetables at every meal.
“Since we launched our online recipe contest for IYFV last month, we have seen an influx of over 800 recipe entries from our fellow Filipinos,” said Mary Ann Sayoc, Public Affairs Lead for EWS-Philippines.
“It is very exciting to see that many families have healthy recipes that they eat on a regular basis. We continue to urge Filipinos to consume more fruits and vegetables in their daily diets to improve overall well-being and health,” she added.
The UN General Assembly has designated 2021 as the International Year of Fruits and Vegetables. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization is the agency leading the celebration of IYFV and World Food Day in collaboration with relevant stakeholders and partners such as EWS.
Jasmine Magtibay, Program Assistant and Normative Support Team Leader of FAO Philippines, said: “When we officially launched IYFV back in December last year, we wanted to rally individuals from across the world to improve healthy and sustainable food production and consumption through various innovations and technologies. We also wanted to promote and encourage the reduction of food loss and waste.”
“Additionally, in commemoration of World Food Day, we especially recognize the important role of fruits and vegetables as dietary essentials, particularly as excellent sources of essential vitamins and minerals and beneficial phytochemicals. These are key to promoting health and nutrition among Filipinos and contribute towards achieving this year’s World Food Day theme of better production, better health, better environment, and a better life,” she added.
The special edition digital cookbook features five categories: appetizers, main courses, side dishes, desserts, and new traditions (traditional recipes that consumers have made healthier by creatively replacing or adding ingredients).
“The recipes we received depict a lot from our Filipino culture – flavorful yet nutritious, abundant yet affordable, and most of all, we saw how diversified and balanced the recipes are,” shared Chef Robby Goco, one of the judges in this year’s online recipe contest.
“We’d like to congratulate everyone who submitted their own recipes, and we hope that Filipinos continue to practice healthy eating every day,” he added.
FAO encourages the consumption of fruits and vegetables in adequate amounts as part of a typical Filipino diet that is both diversified and healthy. To this end, the EWS cookbook will serve as a guide and inspiration for Filipinos to create healthier meals for themselves and their families.
Another important note to consider in celebrating IYFV and World Food Day is the ability to innovate, cultivate, and reduce food loss and waste. It is critical to increase the efficiency and productivity within fruits and vegetables supply chains.
“Our farmers in the Philippines have been working hard to cultivate fruits and vegetables as they aim to achieve a better quality of life for them and their communities,” said Henk Hermans, General Manager for EWS-Philippines.
“At EWS, we equip our smallholder farmers with the necessary skills and training to help them generate better income, create sustainable livelihoods, and improve food security and nutrition by managing local resources,” he added.
EWS-Philippines is a market leader in researching, developing, producing, and distributing tropical vegetable seeds. The company plays a crucial role in improving tropical vegetable varieties that smallholder farmers use to generate yields and increase productivity.
To learn more about the recipe contest, visit www.eastwestseed.recipes. The special edition cookbook will be made available for download on the website soon. You can also visit https://ph.eastwestseed.com to discover more initiatives led by EWS-Philippines in support of health and nutrition and local smallholder farmers in the country.