Palawan hospital pushes healthy food campaign

• Source: http://www.mb.com.ph/palawan-hospital-pushes-healthy-food-campaign/
• Saturday, September 12, 2015

By Francis T. Wakefield

Puerto Princesa, Palawan — Patients of the Adventist Hospital Palawan are not only assured of quality medical service, but are also assured that the food being served to them are healthy and nutritious.

Adventist Hospital Palawan health products was started a decade ago as part of the program of the dietary department of the Seventh-day Adventist Church hospitals to serve healthy products to the patients and the watchers.

While it was conceptualized not as a business, it grew to become an advocacy initially making whole wheat bread then expanded by producing soya milk and tofu.

Today, their products include meat alternatives (Gluten), whole wheat pandesal, whole wheat loaf, whole wheat cinnamon loaf, whole wheat raisin loaf, whole wheat buns, soy coffee and purified drinking water.

To further improve their products, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Palawan has come into the picture and granted P801,000 worth of equipment – Automated Soya Milk Processing worth P736,000, meat grinder for veggie meat worth P40,000 and stainless table worth P 25,000.

The aid is under the department’s Science and Technology innovations for MSMEs (Micro, Small and Medium enterprises) or Small Enterprises Technology Upgrading Program (SETUP) which aims to stimulate investments in urban, sub-urban and rural areas.

Aside from technology, the program also provides MSME’s competencies, efficiency and productivity for techno-based industries and stake holders by providing them knowledge and updates on Technology acquisition and upgrading, product packaging and labeling including networks and linkages for raw material sourcing, market, training, financing, equipment design and fabrication.

Elen Velasco, department supervisor, said the hospital is a non-profit institution and the income derived from the sale of the products support the hospital’s operation.

The products are being pushed to students in Puerto Princesa which is in keeping with the Department of Education’s advocacy healthy food intake.

“We are trying to promote the product to Grade School and High School students to eat healthy product because DepEd (Department of Education) officials are discouraging them to drink synthetic juices,” she said.