DTI-CITEM Highlights World-Class Philippine Seafood at the Largest International Food Expo in the Country

The Philippine archipelago is home to one of the richest and most diverse aquatic ecosystems in the world. It is through this that the country enjoys an abundance of commercial and domesticated fish, crustaceans and mollusks. These are distributed from major fish ports to all over the country and exported to nations like Europe and the USA, with tuna being the largest fishery export from the Philippines followed by seaweed, shrimp and crab products.

The fishing industry is a significant sector in the Philippines, contributing around 2% of the country’s GDP. The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), through the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM), aims to showcase what the Philippine seas have to offer in the global market at the upcoming IFEX Philippines NXTFOOD ASIA on 24-26 May 2019 at the World Trade Center Metro Manila.

One of the new event features that will be unveiled this edition is The Cold Room: Seafood at Sub-Zero. This curated setting will feature the best export quality seafood from the country’s top and rising seafood exporters. To preserve the freshness of these marine products, the whole special setting will be housed in a specially designed cold storage facility custom-built by Cold Front Technologies Asia, Inc.

Trade buyers and visitors are invited to enter The Cold Room and experience temperatures below zero to see and taste the various selections of fresh, frozen and value-added Philippine seafood like tuna, seaweed, prawns, octopus and other high-value marine food products.

Unagi kabayaki by ASMAROS

“See-food” diet

One of the companies to be featured in The Cold Room is first-time exhibitor, ASMAROS Global Corp., whose main products are authentic unagi kabayaki and frozen unagi fillet. The company operates the only eel farm in Asia, outside of Japan, that is certified by the Japan Agricultural Standard (JAS). ASMAROS highlights its use of Japanese systems and technologies in producing top quality unagi kabayaki sourced from Philippine seas.

Brand new packaging from Donny’s Choice

Returning this year as part of this new special setting are Donny’s Choice Fresh Seafood and Century Pacific Food, Inc. Donny’s Choice specializes in fresh frozen marine products like their peeled shrimps, nobashi prawns and lapu-lapu fillets. This year’s IFEX Philippines will also witness the debut of their newly-designed product packaging.

For this edition, Century Pacific will be featuring their fresh frozen bangus products sourced directly from open sea cages from the province of General Santos. With the Philippines being the “Milkfish Capital of the World,” Century Pacific aims to highlight the fish quality, deboning skill and the unmatched flavors and taste of the Philippine bangus.

A variety of bangus offerings from Century Pacific

Catch these brands and taste the fresh flavors of the Philippine seas at The Cold Room: Seafood at Sub-Zero and discover what’s next in the world of food at IFEX Philippines NXTFOOD ASIA on 24-26 May 2019 at the World Trade Center Metro Manila, Pasay City, Philippines.

IFEX Philippines NXTFOOD Asia is the country’s biggest international trade exhibition for ethnic and specialty food, tropical fruits, vegetables, seafood, beverages, bakery and confectionery products, meat and poultry, Halal-certified products, as well as natural, organic, and healthy food products. The three-day event is reputed as the premier business-to-business platform for local and international food companies to discover new markets, launch new products and transact with the world’s biggest buyers. IFEX Philippines NXTFOOD ASIA is organized by DTI-CITEM and co-presented by the Department of Agriculture (DA), through the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) and Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Service (AMAS).