Seven years after it developed its ready-to-eat (RTE) arroz caldo, the Department of Science and Technology has announced the development of another food product that would meet the food and nutrition needs of the country’s most vulnerable sectors, including children and elderly during disasters and calamities.
DOST Secretary Fortunato “Boy” T. de la Peña said the DOST’s Industrial Technology Development Institute (ITDI) developed RTE chicken soup under its “Pack of Hope” brand.
“The Packaging Technology Division (PTD) of DOST-Industrial Technology Development Institute (ITDI) implements a project on the development of three disaster relief foods for vulnerable group (elderly and children), developing RTE chicken corn soup,” he announced on the DOSTv Facebook page on Friday, June 25.
“Under the brand name ‘Pack of Hope,’ the RTE chicken corn soup as a relief food has a homogenous consistency suited for the elderly and children who could not chew solid foods.”
Citing the initial product testing conducted by ITDI-PTD, the DOST chief said the corn and chicken flavors or taste are very distinct and acceptable to children and the elderly.
“The next step is to upscale RTE chicken corn soup production for field testing and validation study,” he said.
De la Peña said a farmer partner from Isabela has been identified to provide the samples of corn grits for the validation study and possible adaptor of the technology.
“Currently, ITDI-PTD is working on the terms of reference (TOR) for a partnership with DSWD (Department of Social Welfare and Development) and DOST in Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon) and Region II,” he said.
The DOST-ITDI’s RTE Arroz Caldo, which was developed in 2014, is ready for commercialization.
Among its key features are the following:
-It is ready to eat without preparation.
-Its packaging structure is lightweight and very handy.
-It can be distributed by land, sea, surface, water submersion, and 20 feet aerial drop.
-The shelf life of the product is one year.
Related story: https://mb.com.ph/2021/06/12/lugaw-is-life-what-you-need-to-know-about-dosts-ready-to-eat-chicken-arroz-caldo/