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CABANATUAN CITY: The industry of vegetable-fortified noodles
received a big push Thursday after three government agencies vowed
to assist local entrepreneurs and provide nutritious food for the
marginalized sector.
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI),
National Food Authority (NFA) and Department of Social Welfare and
Development (DSWD) launched veggie noodles as featured product under
DTI’s One Town One Product Program at the NFA’s farmers training
center here.
DTI Nueva Ecija Director Bi Pili said NFA
encourages the over 70 ‘Tindahan Natin’ outlets that sold P18.25
per kilo rice to offer veggie noodles so that poor families can buy
them.
Veggie noodles, available in 75-gram packs, are
sold in four variants—malunggay, saluyot, carrot and squash.
“It is a local initiative to bolster the
success of the President’s Tindahan Natin project whose objective
is to provide accessible, affordable and nutritious food to our
marginalized sector,” Pili said.
Veggie noodles are produced in the farming town
of Aliaga.
A producer, Cesar Cruz, said the town government
allows him to use equipment it acquired a couple of years back.
DSWD identifies Tindahan Natin operators,
according to NFA Provincial Manager Edelino Alejandro.
DTI Assistant Regional Director for Central
Luzon Judith Angeles said DTI extends all assistance to the
producers of veggie vegetables because they are a healthy
alternative to instant noodles.
She said NFA and DSWD readily accepted DTI’s
proposal to include veggie noodles as special commodity in Tindahan
Natin outlets because this will benefit both the consumer and
struggling entrepreneurs.
“We help promote the product from packaging,
marketing and now we’re at BFAD [Bureau of Food and Drugs]” Pili
said.
-- Armand M. Galang
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