The Philippines is set to showcase natural and fresh Philippine flavors at Anuga 2023 in Koelnmesse, Cologne, Germany from October 7 to 11, 2023. Homegrown small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) will highlight the country’s premium and top export food products such as mango, banana, and tuna at the world’s largest and leading food fair for retail trade and the food service and catering market.
The Philippine delegation will comprise 13 Philippine food exporters producing fresh and processed fruits, frozen and processed seafood, beverages, and snack items. The country’s participation is organized by the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM), the export promotion arm of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and in partnership with the Philippine Exporters Confederation, Inc. (PHILEXPORT), Foreign Trade Service Corps (FTSC) through the Philippine Trade and Investment Centers in Europe (PTICs-Europe) especially PTIC-Berlin.
In addition, the International Trade Centre (ITC), a United Nations (UN) agency working with the Export Marketing Bureau (EMB) to support Philippine coconut exporters, is set to assemble 10 Philippine coconut exporters showcasing products such as virgin coconut oil and coconut flour.
For the Philippine delegation, the Anuga trade fair will open and strengthen the country’s trading partnerships with the European Union (EU) countries. The EU remains one of the most important trading partners of the Philippines with a strong demand for healthy, natural, and organic food products. Furthermore, the Philippines is one of the seven beneficiaries of the EU’s Generalized Scheme of Preferences Plus (EU-GSP+), which gives a special incentive by eliminating import duties on over 6,000 export products.
CITEM Executive Director Edward Fereira emphasized the importance of supporting local MSMEs. “Our exporters play a vital role in cementing the reputation of the Philippines in the EU as a sourcing destination for the best and high-quality fresh food products and ingredients, especially with the EU-GSP+. There is a strong global demand for organic products, and we foresee growth in the European HALAL market, which aligns perfectly with the offerings of Philippine products,” he shared.
