Loren bats for malunggay-fortified instant noodles

Sen. Loren Legarda, chair of the Senate committee on economic affairs, has challenged the country's biggest producers of instant noodles to find ways to build up their products with the highly nutritious malunggay.

Legarda addressed her challenge to Universal Robina Corp. (URC), Nestle Philippines Inc., Monde Nissin Corp. and Uni-President Philippines Corp. -- the country's leading producers of instant noodles, which have become a staple to Filipinos.

URC produces the Payless brand of instant noodles; Nestle, the Maggi brand; Monde Nissin, the Lucky Me! brand; and Uni-President, the Ho-Mi brand. Nissin and URC jointly produce the Nissin brand.

Citing a report by the Department of Agriculture's Biotechnology Program, Legarda said malunggay could be used to fortify all sorts of food products, including noodles, juices, milk and bread. "Reinforcing instant noodles with malunggay is an inexpensive way for us to enrich the Filipino household diet and put in check widespread micronutrient deficiency," the senator added.

Legarda has been batting for the aggressive cultivation of malunggay, which she said, is "one practical way to fight hunger and malnutrition." She has also been pushing the use of malunggay in the government's feeding program for school children.

The senator noted that malunggay can be planted and grown just about anywhere, is cheap and in some areas, even free.

Considered one of the most nutritious vegetables on the plantet, malunggay leaves, ounce for ounce, contain the calcium equivalent of four glasses of milk, the vitamin C of seven oranges, the potassium of three bananas, three times the iron of spinach, four times the vitamin A in carrots and two times the protein in milk. This is according to the Bureau of Plant Industry.

Instant noodles have become the new staple of many Filipinos, mainly because of its affordability and taste. They are also easier to prepare than rice.

Filipinos now spend an estimated P13 billion every year on instant noodles. This is more than double the P6 billion they spent on the staple in 2000. Studies also expect total household consumption of instant noodles to continue to increase by about P1 billion annually in the foreseeable future.

Legarda, meanwhile, is supporting new legislation that would include locally manufactured instant noodles in the list of "basic necessities" under The Price Act, for the purpose of protecting the new Filipino staple against illegal price manipulation and undue price increases during calamities and similar emergencies.

There are proposals to include instant noodles in the same category as other "basic necessities" such as rice; corn; bread; fresh, dried and canned fish and other marine products; fresh pork, beef and poultry; fresh eggs; fresh and processed milk; fresh vegetables; root crops; coffee; sugar; cooking oil; salt; laundry soap; detergents; firewood; charcoal; candles; and essential drugs.

Products classified as "basic necessities" under The Price Act, also known as Republic Act 7581, are protected against hoarding, profiteering and cartelization.

Prices of "basic necessities" are also automatically frozen at their prevailing prices or put under automatic price control whenever a locality is declared a disaster area, under a state of calamity, under an emergency, or under martial law, or declared in state or rebellion or war.

Under The Price Act, the President, upon the recommendation of the National Price Coordinating Council, may impose a ceiling on any basic necessity under certain conditions.

Also under the law, government, using a special buffer fund, may procure, purchase, import or stockpile any basic necessity and devise ways of distributing them for sale at reasonable prices in areas where there is a supply shortage, or a need to effect changes in its prevailing prices.