Local food producers made another appeal to Filipinos to buy local chicken, fish, and pork during the holidays, as this will not only provide consumers fresh options but will also help their industry, which is still reeling from the impact of previous lockdown restrictions and continuous importation. In a text exchange, Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement President Edicio De La Torre said he wishes for Filipino consumers to buy local meat and fish, especially during this Christmas season.
“If you buy local meat and fish, they are not only fresh but also healthier than imported ones that are frozen, especially if they are sold in markets that don’t have the prescribed storage facilities,” Dela Torre said. He also said that there is enough local supply of fish catch from artisanal and commercial fishing, combined with fish harvest from aquaculture for the holidays. In the Philippines, the estimated per capita consumption for fish and other fishery products stood at 40 per kilograms (/kg) per year, while the annual local consumption of pork is 15 kg per capita. For chicken, the estimated per capita consumption yearly is 8.2 kg. Like Dela Torre, Atty. Karen Jimeno, legal counsel of Vitarich Corporation Inc., is also making an appeal to consumers this time for chicken.