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World Bread Day

Filipinosâ€™ love for Pandesal began during Spanish colonial times

By Ric M. Pinca

HE Filipinos' breakfast table is not complete without Pan de Sal (or Pandesal), that rounded piece of bun, which is either dipped in coffee or taken with cheese or whatever filling is available.

Pinoys inherited their love for bread from the Spaniards during the 400 years of Spain's colonial rule of the Philippines from the 1500s to late 1890s. Spanish friars grew wheat in Cagayan Valley, Ilocos provinces and the Calatagan area in Batangas. The friars milled wheat into flour for the production of their own bread and eucharistic wafers or "Ostia" used for mass. From these friars, the Pinoys learned how to bake and consume bread. This is why most local bread products have Spanish names such as Pandesal, Ensaymada and Pan de Suelo, among others. And here's an interesting trivia. The Philippines grew so much wheat during the Spanish time that some of these were even exported to Mexico during the Galleon Trade. When the Americans took over in the 1900s, they brought in flour and wheat farming was abandoned. But the baking craft continued, particularly in the Batangas area. This may have been the reason why most bakers, even these days, are Batanguenos. Filipinos loved Pandesal and other flourbased products such as pastries, noodles and pasta so much, that the country's importation of wheat kept growing each year. Wheat is the raw material for the production of flour. Bureau of Customs' records show Philippine milling wheat imports reached 3.01 Million Metric Tons (MMT) in 2018, the highest on record, a 30.3 percent increase from 2014. This year, this record may be broken as the trend points to a possible 3.13 MMT wheat importation by the year end, a four percent increase from last year's figures. Fifty percent of local flour production is used up by the bakery industry; 20 percent goes into noodles; another 20 percent becomes cookies and crackers; four percent becomes pasta products while the remaining six percent goes into other products. The Philippines imports two types of wheat â€”Hard Wheat and Soft Wheat. Hard wheat is milled to produce high protein wheat flour for the production of Pandesal, Loaf bread, Monay and other Filipino bread favorites. Soft wheat, the raw material for soft flour, has a lower protein content and is for the production of pastries, cakes, noodles, pancakes, muffins and other usually sweet merienda fares. The United States supplies an average of 90 percent of the Philippine wheat requirements.

This year though, Philippine US wheat imports may reach 96.7 percent due to the higher demand for flour from the baking industry, cookie manufacturers and noodle producers. Higher per capita consumption The Philippine wheat flour milling industry estimates the Philippine per capita flour consumption at 20 kgs per person based on the Philippine population of 106 million. In contrast, per capita rice consumption is at 110 per kg per person. Indonesia consumes more flour at around 33 kgs per person. Thailand and Vietnam use up just about the same amount of flour as we do. The increasing demand for bread products has fueled the establishment of more flour mills in the country. Since 2014, seven new flour mills have been put up by enterprising businessmen wanting to get a piece of the growing flour market, raising the number of local flour mills to 21. Two mills are reportedly being planned, one in Mindanao, the other in Visayas. The biggest flour mill in the country is San Miguel Mills Inc., followed by the Iloilo City-based Philippine Foremost Flour Mills. Along with Pilmico Foods Corporation in Iligan City and Universal Robina Corporation in Manila, they comprise the top four mills in terms of market share. The other mills are Philippine Flour Mills, General Milling Corporation, RFM Corporation, Wellington Flour Mills, Liberty Flour Mills, Morning Star Milling Corporation and Delta Milling Industries. The new mills are Monde Nissin Corporation, Atlantic Grains, Asian Grains Corporation, AgriPacific Corporation, Great Earth Industrial Food Inc., New Hope Flour Milling Corporation, North Star Milling Corporation, Big C Agri Miller, Mabuhay Interflour Inc., ans California Flour Group Inc. With more mills importing wheat and producing flour, Pinoys are assured of having a plentiful supply of their favorite Pandesal and other delicious bread products.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2019 advertise@manilastandard.net

World Food Day

Celebrating World Food Day

By Shana Angela S. Cervania

ORLD Food Day is celebrated annually every October 16 to commemorate the founding of the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization. Launched in 1945, the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization has the ultimate goal of ending world hunger; making sure that everyone all around the world has enough food to eat on their table. It calls the attention of international governments to implement and practice successful argiculture policies to safeguard food for everyone and the future generations. It is also part of their mission to strengthen the world’s food security, especially in the event of crisis. Part of their activities is to inform people to be conscious of the planet as climate change continues to negatively affect food security and agriculture. Ensuring both the health of the people and the state of the environment, they call on people to eat healthy, while advocating for a #ZeroHunger world. According to the organization, dietary guidelines in a given country provide advice on how to make everyone gets enough nutrients to be healthy and prevent chronic disease. These dietary guidelines are also used to develop nutrition policies and education programmes. They also call on everyone to be vigilant on the food they intake by making healthy and sustainable diet as the influx of fast-food chain restaurants and sedentary lifestyles have made people unhealthy. Apart from this, people are encouraged to eat plenty of fresh, ripe and seasonal vegetables and fruits daily. Adding more legumes, nuts and

whole grains to your diet is also a must because these are great sources of plant-based protein. What’s more, FAO says, these can be cheaper than animal proteins. They’re also kinder on our planet. According to FAO, over 670 million adults and 120 million girls and boys ages 5-19 are obese; 40 million children ages 0-5 are overweight; and over 820 million people are suffering from hunger. Nearly one in three people are obese and malnourished. Their projections indicate that there will be one in two people affected by 2025. Having an unhealthy diet can also cause increased risk factors in possesing cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and cancer. Organized in over 150 countries, events regarding World Food Day are to promote worldwide awareness and action to ending hunger, ensuring food security and healthy agricultural practices such as those concerning fishing communities, climate change and biodiversity, and advising nutritional diets with a goal to build a Zero Hunger Generation. Each year also has a different theme. And the organizations emphasise, everyone can play a part. Countries, decision makers and private businesses can take action to promote healthy diets and achieve #ZeroHunger, according to FAO. Farmers and agribusinesses, as well as the women and men who work in agriculture play a vital role in providing nutritious, affordable food. The knowledge and traditional practices that these people have are vital in a world where food production "faces challenges such as climate change and limited natural resources,” the organisation adds. "Governments and Institutions can also contribute. Given the significant amount of money spent on health problems related to malnutrition, strategies and policies to ensure the availability and affordability of healthy diets make good business sense for countries and their governments,” FAO says.

World Bread Day

‘Let there be bread‘ B By Shana Angela S. Cervania

READ is the most widely eaten food in the world. It is a staple food served and consumed in almost all households every single day especially in Western countries such as in Europe and the United States.

It’s no different in the Philippines. Here, the top five most commonly consumed foods are rice, salt, cooking oil, coffee and bread, according to a food consumption survey by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute of the Department of Science and Technology (FNRI-DOST). Here the Pandesal stands as the unofficial king of pastries, alongside iconic variants like pan de regla, ensaymada, pita, and the mamon. But bread not only fills our tummies, but also gives us the nutrients our bodies need. Furthermore, bread is an essential source of carbohydrates aside from other starchy food such as pasta, rice, potatoes, breakfast cereals and other grains like rye and barley. Beans, peas, lentils, peanuts, and corn are carbohydrates, too. All these provide fuel for the brain and energy for a person to function properly throughout the day. By combining together a dough of flour and water, a baker could have a very tasty creation; crispy on the outside that would make someone lick lips, fluffy and soft in the inside that would melt on the tongue. And don’t forget the inviting aroma of freshly-baked goods and pastries wafting along the street when you pass by cafés

starting to open their businesses, as you stroll around and drink your joyous cup of morning coffee. As early as 30,000 years ago, it is believed that baking bread has already been an activity done by pre-historic humans, thus, making it one of the oldest food made by humans. From water and grains, they used to prepare the liquid gruel then turned them solid by frying them on heated stones. Traces of starch have been discovered in ancient mortar and pestle-like rocks, according to a 2010 study by the National Academy. It is believed that the ancient Egyptians were the first to use yeast to leaven the dough. The Romans invented two types of ovens which are the brick oven and the “three-legged” pot. Also, the Normans used crop rotation practices and built watermills and windmills for improved flour production. Bread-making further evolved from the 18th century up to the present where roller flour mills, loaf tins, steam powered mills, then steel roller mills were invented; from wooden and coal burning brick ovens to gas ovens; and then finally, highlyautomated flour mills with steel rollers were created in the 20th century. There are traditional bread recipes that have been passed down from the ancient

generation to the next in many of the varying cuisines worldwide. Bread is usually made from wheat, but other cereals, including rye, barley, oats, maize, rice, millet, and sorghum can also be used. Today, endless varying flours and other ingredients such as additives like nuts, fruits, margarine and dairy products such as cheese, butter, eggs, milk, and cream helped evolved bread-making to make different types, shapes, sizes, and textures of these deliciously-baked goods. Chemical but safe additives such as artificial color and flavoring are used also, to not only improve apperance and taste but for improved shelf life as well. Some of the best types of bread are croissants, baguettes, brioche, sourdough, focaccia, ciabatta, rye bread, garlic bread, whole-wheat bread, pita, naan, banana bread, bagels, multigrain breads and so much more. Bread is also considered an important ritual element in some religions, including Christianity and Judaism. Initiated by the International Union of Bakers and Confectioners (IUBC), this occasion has been observed throughout the years as dedication to a staple food that has been crucial for people around the world to survive since the break of dawn. Also, this celebration was started to commemorate the anniversary of the creation of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. Created in 1945 to defeat hunger, it has a Latin motto, Fiat panis, which means “Let there be bread”. Furthermore, World Bread Day also coincides with World Food Day. So what are you waiting for? Let’s get this bread!

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2019 advertise@manilastandard.net

Pandesal Day in PH By Elizabeth Nicole Regudo MGA panadero, simulan niyo na magmasa ng tinapay. Every year, World Bread Day is celebrated as an international observance to commemorate the creation of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in 1945. It aims to end hunger with its Latin motto as Fiat panis, which translates to “Let there be bread.” The observance, initiated by the International Union of Bakers and Confectioners (UIBC), is dedicated to a food staple that has been around the world for about 30,000 years—bread. Bread is usually made from wheat such as spelt, emmer, einkorn and kamut but it can also be baked using non-wheat ingredients including rye, barley, maize, oats, sorghum, millet and rice. Since the dawn of agriculture, bread has had an important role in the lives of people. Not only is it a nutritional food but also a ritual element in some religions including Christianity and Judaism. There are also recipes that have been passed down from generation to generation as part of tradition. No matter where you’re from, bread is always a part of the food culture. In the Philippines, a classic Filipino breakfast is not complete without a bag of pandesal. It is the most popular bread in the country. And to pay tribute to the Filipino favorite, World Pandesal Day is also celebrated every October 16 since it was launched in 2015 by the heritage and artisanal Kamuning Bakery Cafe. As early as 6 in the morning, you would hear a loud horn from a vendor on a bike who’s selling stacks of pandesal. He would keep them warm in an insulated box as he roams the streets until these are sold out. At the same time, you would see people lining up outside the bakeries to buy freshly baked pandesal. Although it’s not salty, its name originates from the Spanish word pan de sal which means salted bread. As it took over the streets of the Philippines, the style of baking pandesal changed to satisfy the Filipino taste. It became slightly sweet. Yet, still it is exceptionally soft and fluffy. Covered with dusts of breadcrumbs, pandesal can be eaten on its own, dunked in coffee, filled with condensed milk or served on a plate with scrambled eggs and hotdogs on the side. Honestly, you can pair it with anything you want. Some people even prefer it with ketchup. What’s your favorite? Celebrate World Bread Day as World Pandesal Day!

50 X 2025 BY 2025, WE COMMIT TO REDUCE OUR USE OF WATER IN ALL PROCESSES ACROSS THE SAN MIGUEL GROUP BY 50%.

While our water management efficiency level is among the highest in the Philippines, and while water conservation and protection has always been a key component of our operations,

WE’RE CHALLENGING OURSELVES TO DO MORE.

ELIMINATE WASTAGE OF WATER ACROSS OUR OPERATIONS.

We will adopt new and stricter measures to improve the efficiency of our water use, as well as utilize water-saving technologies and implement conservation programs.

REUSE AND RECYCLE MORE WATER.

We will optimize all our wastewater treatment facilities to further lessen our water footprint. We commit to make greater use of treated greywater for non-essential purposes.

REDUCE OUR USE OF GROUND AND SURFACE WATER AND PROTECT VITAL WATER SOURCES. HARVEST RAINWATER.

We will continue to lessen our use of ground and surface water, protect these water sources, and empower our communities to do the same.

We will harvest rainwater and runoff water from creeks and rivers – collecting, filtering, and storing it for irrigation and for various other purposes in our facilities. We hope that others will follow our example.

WE ARE EQUALLY COMMITTED TO PROVIDING WATER-CHALLENGED COMMUNITIES NOT JUST WITH ACCESS TO SAFE, POTABLE WATER, BUT ALSO THE ABILITY TO BE SELF-SUSTAINING WHEN IT COMES TO WATER MANAGEMENT.

WHY DO WE CARE?

Because it’s everyone’s water.