GOVPH

Do you know that there are a number of government programs and services which can help you either start your own food business or help your existing food business grow?

If you’re still undecided as to what food business you’d like to get into, the food technologies of the Department of Science and Technology’s Food and Nutrition Research Institute (DOST-FNRI) can help you come up with healthy food products, such as vegetable noodles, crunchy healthy snacks, high fiber fruit juices, fortified food, healthy street food (squash fish balls and squash maja), ethnic food like instant pinakbet or laing, and many other possible food products.

For a list of food technologies, you may visit their website and the list of food technologies: http://www.fnri.dost.gov.ph/images/sources/List_FT.pdf

Now, if you already have a business, but want to improve yourfood packaging or the shelf life of your product, or you’d want to have food analysis, you may go to DOST’s Industrial Technology Development Institute (ITDI) (URL: http://www.itdi.dost.gov.ph/) to help you with thermal processing studies, such as heat penetration test on canned and bottled products, heat distribution tests for retorts and corrective action and sterility tests. They also do physico-chemical and microbiological analysis, as well as pilot plant setup and shelf life testing.

ITDI also has Technology Business Incubators (TBIs) that are available for short-term lease for start-up entrepreneurs to help themget familiarized with the technologies involved, enable them to produce product samples for market testing, help them get more established before venturing on their own and set up their own production facility.

The good news is that most of these services are available the provinces because DOST has regional offices that help in the technology needs of the entrepreneurs in the regions. Every regional office has Regional Standards and Testing Laboratory that provides technical support to food manufacturing, trading and production sectors through the physico-chemical and microbiological tests it offers.

The RSTL adopts and implements several quality assurance programs and quality control activities. Its equipment are calibrated and maintained; it also undergoes regular proficiency testing, continuous improvement of its facility, personnel training program, andother relevant standards.

The regions also conduct seminar and training, some of which are technology seminars on the following: packaging and labelling training, Good Manufacturing Practices Awareness Seminar,Food Safety Orientation Seminar, andCharcoal Briquetting Technology, among others.

For more information on technologies and services you may visit http://www.dost.gov.ph/ and find the agencies and regional offices that can possibly help you give your entrepreneurial ventures a push.(Geraldine B.Ducusin, S &T Media Service)