THE Zamboanga Peninsula Food Innovation Center (FIC) - Zamboanga Peninsula has distributed various food items to frontliners and occupants in medical and isolation facilities for coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in Zamboanga City.
Bon Padayhag, Department of Science and Technology (DOST) regional information officer, said the recipients of the food aid are the frontliners assigned at the Zamboanga City Medical Center’s Covid-19 referral center and the Ateneo de Zamboanga University (AdZU)-Lantaka isolation facility.
Padayhag said the facilities each received numerous packs of the FIC's signature Boss biscuits--a crunchy treat that blends together bananas, oatmeal, soursop (Guyabano), and sea grapes (Lato) using spray-dried sea grapes as its star ingredient.
He said the frontliners in the two facilities have also received a supply of the Beneficial Life Apparatus by Zinex Express and DOST (BLAZED) face shields as well as face mask holders apart from the BOSS biscuits, plain sea grapes biscuit packs, and Guyabano tea packs.
Since its launch in February, this year, the FIC-9 of the DOST and the Zamboanga State College of Marine Sciences and Technology (ZSCMST) has continued to produce unique, health-centric food products using everyday local ingredients, Padayhag said.
He added that primarily conceived to address the food processing development needs of the region’s micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), the FIC-9 is also exploring measures to support the efforts of the DOST SAVES Program (Devising Operational Strategies and Tools to Safeguard Against the Virulent Epidemic Situation), which focuses on developing pragmatic solutions to be used in fight against Covid-19. (SunStar Zamboanga)