IFEX Philippines 2026 Media Preview

Wazzup Pilipinas!? 

International Food Exhibition, IFEX Philippines 2026 staged a Media Preview with the theme, “Tropical Flavors for the World” yesterday, May 12 at the Likhang Pilipino Exhibition Halls—bringing together people from the media, international culinary and local food industry.

The program started with the introduction of the event’s lineup of activities which was officially hosted by renowned host and television commercial actress, Jazmine Estorninos.  Opening remarks from Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Assistant Secretary, Al Valenciano welcomed the guests to the official media preview of IFEX Philippines 2026.

FoodPhilippines Advocate Par Excellence and Founder of Masterplan Global, Raine Cabral provided a detailed preview to IFEX Kitchen: Cooking with the Stars, a must-see spectacle featuring world class Philippines-based Michelin certified chefs along with emerging Filipino culinary enthusiasts. 

The event showcased exceptional Filipino artistry in cooking—highlighting local flavors and ingredients to the global culinary industry. Starting with the festivity is Chef Miggy Cabel Moreno, a two-time Michelin Guide 2026 Bib Gourmand, the man behind Palm Grill and Cabel restaurants and a proud purveyor of Mindanaoan cuisine.

Moreno emphasized on IFEX Philippines’ “IFEX Kitchen: Cooking with the Star”, “Initiatives like this give us regional chefs the spotlight to tell our story and to hopefully encourage everyone to discover us more and even further.”

IFEX Philippines 2026 also recognized the talent and dedication of our Filipino culinary artists and local products with KATHA awards—celebrating Food finalists winners for this year’s annual celebration. The panelists are composed of the Technical Working Group, led by Rosemarie Kwan, Chairperson of the group, KATHA Awards 2026, Charina May Tandas, Regulatory Affairs Manager of Monde Nissin, Vanessa Padilla, Owner of Montepodi Designs, Joy Morillo-Lo, General Manager of Food Revolution Inc, and Engineer Menandro Ortego, Managing Consultant of Conformance Training Consultancy Services.

Furthermore, the Board of Judges consists of Dr. Mina Gabor, Founder of CITEM and Former Department of Tourism Secretary, Rhodel Esteban, Chief Operating Officer of MacroAsia Food Group, Abi Marquez “Lumpia Queen” and Award-Winning Food Content Creator, Chef Philip John Golding, Director of Culinary Innovations CCA Manila and Millie Dizon, Senior Vice President for Marketing and Communications of SM Retail.

Among the notable awardees were Lionheart Farms (Philippines) Corporation with their, “The Power of Slow Carbonated Coconut Flower Nectar Drin”, Golden Flavours Pastries and Gourmet Inc with their Golden Flavours Shortcakes, Herbanext Laboratories Inc with Munggo!, Homemade Gourmet Ventures and their Gourmet Tahong, KKK Food Corporation with their signature Kangkong King Chips in Sinigang, Sterling Pacific Ventures Corp with their multi-flavored ice-cream, Marcelo’s Microcreamery and the winner of Best in Packaging Design, Oh So Healthy Corporation with their Blumies Chewy Fruit Snacks. 

When asked about their thoughts on winning the Best in Packaging Design, Oh So Healthy Brand Marketing Assistant, Kristine Cal, emphasized that their goal is to revolutionize healthy snacking for Filipinos with the right amount of healthy goodness, as well as exciting flavors brought by their exotic fruit combination. 

She also added that during their foundation in 2017 by visionary Almay Gaw-See, Oh So Healthy (OSH) set out to redefine snacking with fun, innovative, and truly healthy options. Backed by over 25 years of manufacturing expertise through IPIC, OSH quickly became a pioneer in the Better-For-You (BFY) snack space.

In 2025, OSH evolved into Oh So Healthy Corp.—a bold move reflecting its commitment to growth, global expansion, and its mission to be the leading healthy, guilt free snack brand in the Philippines and beyond.

IFEX Philippines 2026 Media Preview capped off with a special dinner and a night of spoken word poetry and music. KATHA Awardees also gave a free-taste look and freebies of their local products to guests and media partners—giving us a first-hand preview of what to expect in the official launch of this year’s IFEX Philippines 2026.

IFEX 2026 Philippines will officially begin on May 21-23 at the World Trade Center, Manila. The event promises to the bring together world class local cuisine, flavors and business opportunities—highly anticipated as the country’s biggest export-oriented international trade show for food, beverage and ingredients featuring the Sustainability Solutions Exchange (SSX). 

Written by: Renz Delim

Images from: Miles Alimangohan 

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