URC dips into cooking aid market

MANILA, Philippines — Universal Robina Corp. (URC), the listed snack food giant of the Gokongwei Group, is expanding further its portfolio as the company makes its foray into the meals preparation mega-category.

URC said it is entering the cooking aid category with VegiGood!, a new breading mix made with real carrots and malunggay.

The company said the new product has been formulated in a way that it is as appetizing as its main competitors, but with a twist as it actually contains real vegetables.

“VegiGood! is a smarter way to get kids to eat vegetables,” URC chief marketing officer Mian David said.

“It is still an all-in-one, crunchy-style breading mix that has a blend of tasty seasonings and spices.  But it’s also something meant to help mothers give their kids a better diet,” David said.

According to URC, the market for meal mixes and sauces used as cooking and culinary aids grew by 12 percent in 2022 and 19 percent in the first quarter of 2023.  The category accounts for 7.8 percent of the food market.

“URC aims to grow the business by entering the meal occasions market, delighting consumers with tasty, quality, innovative mealtime solutions, relevant to Filipino families,” David said.

URC is behind the iconic food and beverage brands such as Great Taste, C2 Cool & Clean, Piattos, Maxx candy and Cream-O cookies.

Aside from being one of the country’s largest food and beverage manufacturers, URC also has significant and growing presence in ASEAN.

Its leading regional brands include Lexus, Tivoli and Fun-O.

URC has likewise been undertaking various initiatives that are in line with the Gokongwei Group’s thrust to promote long-term efforts that will significantly help manage post-consumer plastic waste.

The company recently entered into a joint venture with Greencycle Innovative Solutions Inc. for waste management which includes the collection, treatment, recovery and processing of plastic wastes.

Through the joint venture, URC and Greencycle seek to formulate an integrated operation or ecosystem that incorporates the reduction of plastic waste through collection, treatment and processing of waste materials and convert it into reusable or recyclable products.