FOOD FAIR. Malunggay food products are exhibited at the Dulang Food Fair held at the Laoag City Multi-Purpose Center in Ilocos Norte on Tuesday (June 20, 2023). Free tasting is open to the public. (PNA photo by Leilanie Adriano)
LAOAG CITY – The city government on Tuesday opened the Marunggay Festival to showcase various food products made from malunggay (moringa oleifera), even as more products made of the "superfood" are being developed to utilize its maximum potential for food and traditional medicine.
Now running for three years, the Marunggay Festival featuring a dulang food fair at the Laoag City Multi-Purpose Center continued to attract visitors with new malunggay products ready for commercialization.
These included creamy malunggay pesto, fresh lumpia in malunggay crepe, malunggay pizza, malunggay ice cream, sushi rolls, cookies, miki and polvoron, among others.
“What we have dreamed of is now turning into reality. So, we continuously innovate byproducts in support of the Department of Health’s advocacy in combating malnutrition and maintaining healthy Laoageños,” said city councilor Handy Lao, who sponsored the passage of the festival.
According to Lao, talks are underway with a Japanese firm producing moringa-based products which the city hopes to tap to supply raw materials.
In other countries, moringa leaves and seed oil are the major raw materials used in the food and nutrition industry, cosmetics and herbal medicine.
The leaf powder is mainly used for food fortification as an ingredient in bread, noodles, juices, milk and tea, while the leaf powder capsule is mostly used as a food supplement and herbal medicine.
Another highlight of the event was a malunggay cooking competition where the winning dishes will be introduced to tourists as additional “must try” products of Laoag.
The city government is urging the locals to plant and grow more malunggay trees not just for local consumption but to ensure a steady supply of good quality fresh and dry moringa raw materials in the global market.
In line with this campaign, officials and residents here have taken the lead in growing this superfood plant in school gardens, backyards, roadsides, and idle lots to sustain a steady market. (PNA)
