More Brits interested in ethnic food

Filipino food manufacturers urged to tap the UK market

Philippine food manufacturers of fruit juices, biscuits, and other ‘comfort foods’ will have huge potential in the United Kingdom market, according to Nicholas Orledge, a consultant for the UK who worked as a senior buyer for Tesco.

Tesco is a UK-based international supermarket chain and the largest British retailer, both by global sales and by domestic market share.

Orledge said that the UK’s rising population and increasing immigrants have led to a globalized food consumption patterns among Brits and also in the growth of exotic foods.

According to Orledge, Philippine food products will surely gain attention from British consumers by arranging trade fairs in their country, creating promotional materials, and following their food standards. He noted that since Britons are very concerned when it comes to food ethical issues, Filipino manufacturers should comply with the strict UK regulations in order to gain deals.

The British food expert was in Manila as guest speaker for the IFEX Symposium Series: ‘The Global Challenge of Food Safety and Regulatory Compliance in the United Kingdom’ organized by the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM) and the Brand Management Team for food of the Department of Trade and Industry.

During the symposium, he introduced the British Retail Consortium (BRC) Food Technical Standard which is developed to be used as an evaluation of the retailers’ own brand food products. This Standard is regarded as the benchmark for best practice in the food industry. It is now used outside the UK and has evolved into a global standard, not only to assess the retailers’ supplies, but also to serve as a framework where companies can base their supplier assessment programs.

Orledge advised the participants that Philippine food manufacturers who wish to market in UK should pass the BRC’s qualifications such as creating a computer-generated system which manages the traceability, receipts, and process controls of the products, training quality-assurance officers in the factories, and building new factories where foods can be sanitarily processed and packaged. Other food standards that are very important for consumers include the ingredient list, allergens, production methods, origin labeling, information and risk, and nutrition labeling.

The seminar was participated by various food companies such as Branded Food and Ingredients Enterprise, Coffee Blends Export Corp., First Choice Food, Florence Food Corp., Gem Foods Inc., Grand Alphatech, KSK Food Products, Leslie Corp., Liwayway Mktg. Corp, Marketreach Distributors, Marikina Food Corp., Mega Fishing Corp., Monde Nissin Corp., Nutrilicious Food Corp., Oriental Synergies, Primex Coco Food, Rebisco Food of Group Companies, Profood International, RFM Foods, and Universal Robina Corporation.