COA Deputy Minister Chen Chi-chung (standing)(Photo courtesy of CNA)
Taipei, June 19 (CNA) Eighty local food businesses handpicked by the Council of Agriculture (COA) will showcase awarded-winning products and uniquely Taiwanese foods at the Taiwan Pavilion of the 2017 Taipei International Food Show from June 21-24, according to the council.
"Good Food in Taiwan" will be the theme of the pavilion, the Cabinet-level council said in a statement released on Monday, inviting domestic and foreign buyers and consumers to enjoy high-quality agricultural products from Taiwan.
The pavilion will have three main exhibition zones displaying the Top 10 Innovative Products of the year, products selected under the COA-initiated Taiwan Good Agriculture (TGA) brand creation program, and items considered uniquely Taiwanese.
The COA said it hopes to use the display zones to introduce "fresh, healthy and delicious agricultural food products from Taiwan" to a global audience.
This is the third year the agricultural authorities have selected the 10 best locally-made food products based on innovative processes, according to the COA.
Experts from domestic food industries were invited to choose the "Top 10 Innovative Products" based on a set of criteria relating to production process, safety management, innovative techniques, real commercial value, package design and export potential, it said.
This year's winners included gluten-free rice cookies, mullet roe, tea eggs, porridge with red beans and black rice, and red bean soup.
"Although these are all traditional food products, they wowed the judges with modern innovative processing techniques and packaging," the COA said.
The council explained that the TGA program was initiated to help local businesses give their brand names a makeover and renew package design as part of efforts to enhance the international image and competitiveness of Taiwanese agricultural products.
The Taiwan Pavilion at the 2017 Taipei Food Show, will showcase 10 brands developed under the TGA program, the COA said, adding that most of these brands are created by second generation food business operators.
For the most part these young entrepreneurs are under 35, including one who inherited a 150-year-old rice noodle business, but they have successfully made traditional food products commercially successful with high-added value, the council said.
It expressed hope that visitors to the TGA display zone will be impressed by the ambition of these young Taiwanese people and their efforts to make inroads into the international market.
The exhibition zone of uniquely Taiwanese products will showcase various farm produce, including fresh fruit and vegetables, processed fruit and vegetable products, rice and other grains, processed grain products, as well as fresh and processed aquatic and meat products.
The display is arranged to demonstrate the diversity of agriculture in Taiwan, the COA said.
The five-day Taipei International Food Show will take place at Nangang Exhibition Hall.
