ALL throughout this pandemic, I’ve mainly had my groceries delivered from the supermarket or made quick trips to my neighborhood talipapa to pick up fresh seafood, fruits and vegetables.
I thank my long-passed Lola Ding for gifting me with some modicum of skills that enable me to find my way around the kitchen well enough to cook meals for myself, and to my old glorious alma matter St. Theresa’s College for equipping me with some baking know-how, learned during our Home Economics classes.
But even I must admit, I get tired of my own cooking and dishes. (“Spaghetti na naman?!” “Pork Tonkatsu ulit?!” I yell to no one in particular, while reviewing the contents of my freezer, thinking of what to cook for the day.) I then sigh, close the freezer and a recipe book nearby, and just pile into a heap of laziness on my sofa. I then grab my phone, open a food delivery app, and proceed to order from a restaurant.
Then one fine day, San Miguel Corp. delivered a whole box of canned goods and food items to my home. Yay! This was a most welcome ayuda. I am a San Miguel baby of course, nurtured and raised my entire life on many of its products and produce. But even I had to whistle in amazement at the number of new products the company has. It was now possible for me and many home cooks (as well as exhausted working parents with kids at home) to plan a week’s meal without any heavy lifting.
Aside from their usual canned goods like Spam, Purefoods Corned Beef, and the new San Miguel Del Mar canned tuna, the company now has no-nonsense, easy-to-prepare meals, and convenience foods. Even my idiot neighbor who can’t fry up an egg will be able to put everything in a pot and heat the darned things.
My favorites of the lot so far are the kare-kare, with its tender beefy goodness—just add your favorite veggies and have your preferred bagoong on the side; the chicken karaage—just deep fry and then drain to keep it crisp; and the Veega giniling, which is plant-based protein, which I used to make chili con carne.
For those who have intermediate cooking skills, San Miguel Foods also has items like pandesal flour. The canned tuna, I’ve already used in my pasta puttanesca (tuna in oil) and tuna salad (chunks in water).
In a short exchange with Francisco “Butch” Alejo III, president of San Miguel Foods, he said the company’s products under its newest categories, the ready-to-eat and plant-based, “have been in development even before the pandemic, as we saw opportunities to address increasing health consciousness and a consumer demand for greater convenience. However, because of pandemic restrictions, in-home consumption has increased, and there’s even greater need for healthy products, products that are easy to prepare and also provide variety. This has made our products even more relevant, particularly our ready-to-eat offerings and baking premixes. For healthier food options, that is where our new Veega plant-based food line, Magnolia Free Range Chicken, and San Miguel Del Mar Tuna come in.”
The company’s vegetarian products are definitely attracting a lot of enthusiastic response and noise from health-conscious consumers.
“Veega is the company’s first vegetarian line. It has a range of high-fiber, plant-based, protein offerings that can be used in a wide variety of meals, including well-loved Filipino dishes. It comes in five variants: meat-free balls, burger patties, sausages, giniling, and nuggets, and are already fully-cooked and seasoned. Veega makes use of wheat, soy, mushroom, and egg, with no added preservatives. This has been appreciated by vegetarians and flexitarians, people who want to replace meat with tasty plant-based alternative,” said Alejo.
The geniuses behind many of these new products are San Miguel’s own chefs. “They concoct the very best and authentic Pinoy favorite dishes and make them ready to eat. All the viands, under the Purefoods, Cook Express, Chef’s Selections brands, are slow cooked, made with real meat and poultry from San Miguel’s own farms, and use Individually Quick Frozen [IQF] technology for sealed-in freshness and assured food safety,” he explained.
The Cook Express and Chef’s Selections brands are mainly targeted to foodservice outlets that may prefer the convenience of ready-to-serve food to cooking from scratch. “However, because the products also appeal to consumers,” said Alejo, “we have made them available at Petron Treats. Meanwhile, Purefoods ready-to-eat packs are available in supermarkets and will soon be rolled out nationwide.” Those, like me, who are still hesitant to venture out of their homes for a supermarket run can buy these products and more via themall.sanmiguel.com.ph.
We teasingly asked what else San Miguel Foods had in store for harried and Covid-weary consumers this year, Alejo said, “Healthy eating will probably still be top-of-mind so we’ll certainly be expanding options with products made with chicken, seafood and plant-based ingredients. Staying at home will continue to be the norm for many, so we’re aiming for more variety in ready-to-eat meals.”
He underscored, “We have always recognized that our products need to evolve the way our consumers are evolving, so you can count on more products to be launched as we continue to innovate and listen to what consumers need and want.”