What you missed at this year’s IFEX 2018
The International Food Exhibition (IFEX) Philippines just finished its second year of showcasing Asia’s best ethnic food and ingredients. If you’re a food buyer or enthusiast, it’s an event you should not have missed. If you do, here’s a rundown of what happened this year:
Row upon row of unique food products
IFEX 2018 took up the entire World Trade Center floor and then some (they leaked out into the Philippine Trade and Training Center next door). It was all they could do to try and fit food products from 11 different sectors, which included fresh and processed seafood, the highlight of this year’s expo.
While these booths were available only to buyers, the Food Artisans Hall (featuring local flavors and visual treats from different provinces) and the Marketplace (retail prices for premium food products) were open to the public.
Highlights of the exhibition were the Mindanao and Visayas pavilions, which featured food products from the said regions that were normally in short supply.
Seminars and Food Innovation
As with any expo, there were seminars held throughout the event. Our pick, though, was a special setting you would have only seen during IFEX 2018: the Department of Science and Technology’s (DOST) Seafood Innovation Hub.
The DOST-ITDP Seafood Innovation hub featured some of the agency’s innovative processing methods along with different ways of packaging the country’s distinct seafood products, most of which were developed under the Food Innovation Centers nationwide.
2018 Katha Awards
Arguably the highlight of the event, the Katha Awards puts the spotlight on products shown during IFEX 2018 as well as standout booth displays during the event. Here are the winners of this year’s IFEX Katha Awards:
Best Booth Displays
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- SPECIAL CITATION FOR BEST BOOTH DISPLAY: Mindanao Pavilion
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- BEST BOOTH DISPLAY: Marigold Manufacturing
Best New Products
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- MARINE: Ellyne’s Pasalubong Products Tuna Chicharon and Salmon Cracklings
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- FOOD INGREDIENTS: Tree Life’s Coconut Sugar
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- PROCESSED FRUITS AND VEGETABLES: Take Root’s Banana Chewies , Naked
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- SNACK FOOD AND CONFECTIONERIES: Jeverps Manufacturing’s Instant Bam-I Noodles
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- BEVERAGES: Destileria Limtuaco
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- BISCUIT, BREADS, AND PASTRIES: Baker’s Field Enterprises Coffee Bread Toast
The 12th Edition of IFEX Philippines is organized by the Department of Trade and Industry – Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (DTI-CITEM) in partnership with the Department of Agriculture (DA) through the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) and the Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Service (AMAS).
See you at next year’s IFEX!
