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Philippine bamboo snacks win intl fest
Philippine-made snacks and candies made from bamboo shoots recently won the top prize in an international competition judged by a world-class panel that included Lonely Planet founder Tony Wheeler and other renowned personalities. Bamsnacks candy and chips topped the food category contest of the International Bamboo and Rattan Ideas Competition, an article posted on the Department of Foreign Affairs website said. The competition, which generated 120 entries from 27 countries, required participants to come up with a product that would help build better cities and better lives. The product had to make use of bamboo and rattan, as well as combine traditional knowledge with 21st-century technology. The competition had four categories: food, shelter, transport and clothing. Other first prize winners were eco-sandals from Peru, a baby clam-farming house from Vietnam, and a kid's bike from China. “While bamboo is well-known for its huge, ever-increasing variety of applications, its potential as food is not yet fully explored and significant growth is still possible," Vina Domingo said as she received the award for the company that produced Bamsnacks in ceremonies on Oct. 15 at the Madrid Pavilion of the Shanghai Expo 2010. “With the growing demand for organic food and the popularity of bamboo," there is a niche market for the award-winning snacks, Domingo explained. As stated in the package label of the winning product, bamboo shoot chips and candies are “a delicious, healthy and unique snack." Bamboo shoots are low in calories and fat, and rich in fiber and potassium, it also noted. “These snacks are produced by rural communities using natural ingredients and simple processes and tools, providing a feasible opportunity for livelihood development and poverty alleviation, especially for women," the DFA said. This was “true to the development mandate of the International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR)," the side said. The competition’s judges included:
- Hong Kong fashion designers Vivienne Tam and Kan Tai-keung, known for their use of bamboo fiber-made clothing material;
- Simon Velez, renowned Colombian architect and proponent of bamboo as an essential building component;
- Hong Kong architect Nelson Chen;
- Lonely Planet founder Tony Wheeler;
- Australian restaurateur Michelle Garnaut; and
- Walter Liese, German wood biologist, forestry expert and bamboo specialist.
