By Carby Rose Basina

Sardine brand distributed by Mega Prime Foods Inc. (MPFI), Mega Sardines spearheaded the celebration of National Sardines Day as an expression of gratitude to Filipinos and their enduring affection for sardines.

On its fourth year running, Mega Sardines celebrated with the theme FieSSSta - Sarap, Sustansya, at Saya, a fun event involving the media, industry partners, stakeholders, and all those who love sardines.

The day's activities started with an online media event where Mega Sardines and MPFI executives briefed the media and chosen influencers about the company's various initiatives. This includes the Mega Bigay Sustansya, a program launched in 2019 that aims to help alleviate malnutrition in the country by providing healthy meals.

Among those who spoke at the media event were representatives of Reach Out Feed Philippines (ROFP), the Department of Social Welfare and Development Region 4-A (DSWD Region 4-A), the Department of Science and Technology - Food Nutrition and Research Institute (DOST-FNRI), and Marvin Tiu Lim, MPFI’s Chief Growth and Development Officer.

“For its fourth year this year, Mega Bigay Sustansya, in a span of 120 days, was able to provide a total of 160,800 meals for lunch and snacks for the 670 beneficiaries in 7 areas, namely NCR; Palayan City, Nueva Ecija; Infanta, Quezon; Leyte; Culion, Palawan; Sapian, Capiz; and Zamboanga. The 670 beneficiaries were children aged 4 to 12 years old. From July to October, the percentage of children who have normal nutritional status increased from 58.95% to 78.29%. Wasting among the beneficiaries decreased from 21.20% to 16.48% while severe wasting dropped from 19.85% to 5.23%,” the brand reported in a press release.

“Mega Sardines and Mega Prime Foods Inc. are ever grateful to the Filipino public for their staunch support throughout the years. This is why we always endeavor to give back, and these celebrations and activities are one way for us to let the public and our partners know our malasakit for them, and that we are committed to supporting them,” Marvin Tiu Lim noted.