“Dagupan’s Best” label to be launched soon

The city government of Dagupan, Pangasinan, has launched a search for food items to be marketed with the “Dagupan’s Best” label.

In a product exhibit held last month at the city museum, various products vying for the label went on display. The product range went beyond Dagupan’s famed 3 B’s – bangus (milkfish), bagoong (fermented  fish/shrimp paste), and bocayo (candied coconut shreds).  There were homemade ham, pastries, candies, homemade ice cream, sunflower seed brittle, guapple, bibingka, cassava cake, and soya milk.

Products that will be selected to carry the label will be promoted and supported intensively.

“When we talk of support, we talk about shelf life, financing, marketing and promotion, and product development and research,”  Dagupan Mayor Benjamin Lim says during the opening of the three-day exhibit.

The city government plans to put up a center where all the “Dagupan’s best” products will be sold.

Lim cites the experience of Thailand which was able to market its food to international markets when it started its one town, one product project 30 years ago.

“Thailand’s local products… are now accepted internationally. They were successful because their national government supported them with research. We hope we can do that with our products from Dagupan,” Lim adds.

Market research is needed to find out the demand for products so that entrepreneurs would be guided on the quality and volume they would aim for.

The program is not exclusively for Dagupan producers, Lim avers. Those from neighboring towns may be included in the city government’s enterprise promotion program, though not necessarily tagged as made in Dagupan but in the towns where the items are produced.