THE team behind the Technical Guide on Food Product Packaging in the Philippines pose during the launching in Iloilo City. (Tara Yap)
ILOILO CITY – The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and technical partner Central Philippine University (CPU) recently launched the Technical Guide on Food Product Packaging in the Philippines here.
“We often think of packaging in terms of aesthetic or visuals. But in the food industry, packaging is important as it extends shelf life,” DOST-6 Regional Director Rowen Gelonga said.
With an extended shelf life, the marketability of the food product is enhanced.
The butterscotch – a beloved Ilonggo delicacy – was able to grow with the help of food packaging technology.
Gelonga recalled how butterscotch used to have a two-week shelf life as it was wrapped with cellophane packaging. With the new technology, its shelf life can last up to six months, giving it a bigger market in other parts of the country and abroad.
Designed mainly for the small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the food industry, the guidebook also tackles packaging design and development, materials and equipment selection, regulatory labeling requirements, and sustainable packaging practices.
The DOST-6 said the Packaging Engineering Department of the CPU College of Engineering played a pivotal role in creating the guidebook.
Gelonga said the guidebook is part of the legacy of the late Dr. Lejo C. Braña, a DOST Balik Scientist Program (BSP) who established the first packaging engineering course in the country at CPU.
The team behind the guidebook is composed of DOST Assistant Regional Director Dr. Naomi Cossette Luis and Russel Renz Garcia as editors, Faye Camille Jimenea, Kay Kristyle Cainglet, Paul Ainesis Sambas, and Wells Ruud Lego as authors and researchers, DOST-6 Senior Science Research Specialists Abraham Porcal, Fedi Marie Lima, and Jhoanna Bolencis were advisers, and Danielle Dale Sentillanosa and Grace Ann Jardenil were creative design consultants.
They were present at the launching along with CPU Dean of College of Engineering Engr. Mary Earl Daryl Grio and Engr. Bernie Cangrejo, head of the Packaging Engineering Department.