10 June 2023, Goyang City, ROK. Philippine Ambassador to Korea, Theresa Dizon-De Vega attended the opening ceremony of Seoul Food 2023, the largest food exhibition in Korea and Asia's premium food market show. She also joined ASEAN Ambassadors in Seoul at the opening ceremony of the 2023 ASEAN Trade Fair which was held in conjunction with Seoul Food 2023. The four-day event organized by Korea Trade Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) ran from 30 May to 05 June 2023 at KINTEX, Goyang City, ROK.

PH participation in the trade fairs was spearheaded by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Department of Agriculture (DA) in cooperation with Philippine Trade and Investment Center (PTIC-Seoul) and Philippine Agriculture Office in Seoul (PAO-Seoul).

DTI-EMB and PTIC-Seoul organized the participation of two delegations in the Seoul Food 2023, with coconut products in the Philippine coconut pavilion and plant-based snacks and beverages at the ASEAN Korea Trade Fair 2023. The Philippine Coconut Pavilion is DTI's initiative anchored on the Research, Marketing, and Marketing Promotion Sub-program component of the Coconut Farmers and Industry Development Plan (CFIDP). The delegation was composed of sixteen companies, namely, Benevelle Corporation, Cattleya & Rose Gourmet Foods Trading, Fortune of Wishes Seafood Products, Fruits of Life Inc., Greenlife Coconut Products Philippines, Inc., Hijo Superfoods, Kalipunan ng Maliliit na Magniniyog ng Pilipinas Agriculture Cooperative, Kimes Food International Inc., Marigold Manufacturing Corporation, Miguelitos International Corporation, Profood International Corporation, Pinagdanlayan Multi-purpose Cooperative, Sol's Italian Food, Theo & Philo Chocolate Factory, Eng Seng Food products, Tongsan Industrial Corporation, and Eng Seng Food Products.

At the ASEAN Trade Fair organized and sponsored by the ASEAN Korea Centre (AKC), the Philippine booth featured healthy and trendy food items such as vegan snacks, Zigmund Enterprise concentrated calamansi with ginger, Jack's Produce Jackfruit based products, and OSH baked fruit chips.

The Food Philippines pavilion of the DA and PAO-Seoul enabled the Philippines to generate greater exposure for our high-value agricultural products in ROK to meet the growing demand of the discerning Korean market for healthy food. A total of fourteen agri-food exporting companies exhibited their products in the Food Philippines pavilion. They were assisted by a DA agribusiness delegation led by Director Junibert de Sagun of DA Agribusiness-AMAS.

Onsite exhibitors that participated in the Food Philippines pavilion of DA and PAO Seoul include, Southern Philippines Fresh Fruits Corp (fresh mangoes, pineapple and cacao tablea), Sangkutsa Food Products Inc (Mango Salsa, Pickled Mango and other picked fruits and vegetables), Mardak Global Export Inc (frozen calamansi, frozen saba, ube, cassava and vegetables), Eng Seng Food Products (fresh young coconut, Fresh/Frozen durian, banana chips, freeze dried fruits), Planters Products Inc (Freeze-Dried Chips, Coffee, Coco Sugar, Coco Skimmed Milk, VCO, Banana Chips, Cacao Tableya), Prime Fruits International Inc (banana chips), Peter Paul Corporation (chili sauce and coconut-based products). In addition, there are a number of Philippine companies that provided their products for display like JelFarm Fresh Produce Enterprise (fresh okra), Hilas Marketing Corporation (fresh okra), Quirino Young Entrepreneurs Association (powdered ube), Avante Agri-Products Phils, Inc. (fresh Cavendish and Cardava banana, pineapple, papaya and mangoes), Carmen Sunrise Exporters Inc (fresh mangoes, papayas, saba), COP Pili Sweets and Pastries (Wrapsody and Y-Nut Pili Nuts products), and Yamang Bukid (turmeric tea).

PAO Seoul also collaborated with the Pilipino Banana Growers and Exporters Association (PBGEA) and leading Korean fruit importers, such as DOLE, Del Monte and Sumifru, to showcase and intensify promotion of Philippine bananas, pineapples, and other fresh tropical fruits to the Korean consumers during the fair. DA agribusiness delegation generated a total estimated booked or negotiated sales amounting to USD10 Million.

The Philippines looks forward to bigger participation in Seoul Food next year as the Philippines and Korea celebrate 75 years of diplomatic relations. END