SAN Miguel Food and Beverage Inc. (SMFBI), the food unit of conglomerate San Miguel Corp. (SMC), assured Filipino consumers on Wednesday that its processed meat products, including Tender Juicy hot dogs, would remain available in the domestic market amid industry concerns over tightening raw material supply.
In a statement on Wednesday, SMC said SMFBI’s refrigerated meat products and canned goods “will remain available in supermarket shelves and other retail outlets, despite global challenges that affect the cost and availability of raw materials.”
“Since the start of the pandemic, our Food business has strived to make our supply chains more agile and resilient. As a result, we have expanded our raw material supply sources, and have also increased our flexibility in terms of production,” SMC President and CEO Ramon S. Ang said.
Nonetheless, SMC admitted that SMFBI is affected by the tightness in supply of mechanically deboned meat (MDM) of chicken, global price increases and import restrictions, given that it is one of the major importers of raw materials in the country.
SMC said SMFBI uses close to 100,000 metric tons (MT) of raw materials every year.
However, SMC maintained that it is “confident that with keener anticipation of global trends and its ability to make quick adjustments in production, it can sustain and assure availability of its products.”
Ang said, “When you have enough meat and packaging materials, along with ample manufacturing capacity, you can ensure continuous supply.
“As we have done throughout the period of this pandemic, we can continue to provide for the needs of our consumers despite the present challenges.”
Ang said it has been SMC’s strategy “to build around its integrated value chain,” enabling the company to “utilize more of its internal raw material sources for its value-added meats production needs.”
“Food security is always one of our top priorities,” he said. “With our consumers’ needs always top of mind, we want to assure everyone that they can continue to enjoy their all-time favorite Purefoods Tender Juicy hotdogs, luncheon meat, chicken nuggets, bacon, and corned beef,” he added.