DOST suggests use of ‘Sagip-Nutri Flour’ as alternative amid wheat flour hike

The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) on Monday encouraged the public to use its “Sagip-Nutri Flour” as an alternative to wheat flour amid price increase due to the impact of the Ukraine-Russia conflict.

During a Laging Handa briefing, DOST Undersecretary Rowena Guevara explained that because the country’s climate is not suitable to grow wheat, it has to import it from other countries.

Both Russia and Ukraine are among the world’s top producers of wheat, which flour is normally used in food such as bread, noodles, crackers, and cake, among others.

“Dahil imported ang trigo, kapag tumaas ang presyo ng trigo sa mundo, tataas din ang presyo ng mga nabanggit kong pagkain,” Guevara said.

(Because the Philippines imports wheat, any increase in its price affects the cost of some food.)

Guevara noted that the cost of wheat flour in January is at P19.38 per kilogram. The importation of wheat flour increases by 11.12% per year.

She then said that the country has produced a local flour called “Sagip-Nutri Flour” made from nutritious and indigenous crops.

“‘Yung sagip-nutri flour, blends ‘yan ng powders gawa sa cassava, sweet potato, moringa (malunggay), squash, at tsaka monggo. Lahat ‘yan available locally. Kaya kapag gumawa tayo niyang flour na ‘yan, pwede nating pamalit sa paggawa ng mga cookies, power bards, polvoron, noodles, cake, and so on,” she added.

(The sagip-nutri flour is a blend of powders made from cassava, sweet potato, moringa, squash, and mungbean. All of that is available locally. So when we make that flour, we can substitute it for making cookies, power bards, polvoron, noodles, cake, and so on.)

Up to 20% of the wheat flour could be replaced by the sagip-nutri flour, Guevara added.

According to the agency’s website, the Sagip-Nutri Flour is developed by the DOST Industrial Technology Development Institute (ITDI) and can be "transformed into an array of food products to provide balance and add variety to emergency food rations and nutrition feeding."

“Kapag gumamit tayo ng mga local na available like cassava, banana, at sweet potato, dahil hindi sila imported, murang-mura po ang kalalabasan ng alternative natin sa wheat flour,” Guevara said.

@When we use locally available products like cassava, banana, and sweet potato, they could be a very cheap alternative to wheat flour as we don’t have to import them.)—LDF, GMA News