Gana Vida’s Bangus Pâté

I got 3 jars of bangus pate from my friends two weeks ago.  I have been nagging them relentlessly on Facebook after learning about this product. Of course, they know why I have been so interested in the product. Lea Salonga loves it!

Lea Salonga has a weekly column in the Philippine Daily Inquirer called Backstory.  In her April 13, 2011 article, she wrote

“One seafood company talks about its sustainable practice by giving employment opportunities to poor people and educating them on the business. I feel this is something special. Plus, the pâté is really good.”

This sounded like the organization that 3 of my friends are a part of. I shared the link on Facebook and tagged my friend to ask if she was the one Lea talked to. To which my friend replied, “Yes!”. Incidentally, Lea Salonga is one of UN Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) goodwill ambassadors.

Lea even replied to my tweet about it:

After weeks of nagging, I finally got to taste the pâté.  Delicious. My friend has a degree in Food Technology from the University of the Philippines and her husband has a degree in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology from the same university. Both are part of the same organization.  Thus, we know that the product was developed by people who know what they are doing.

One test to determine if the product is safe is to check the ingredients. The ingredients used in their products are all natural (and easy to pronounce). The pâté has three flavors: Asian, Pinoy and Mediterranean. Each flavor has three variants: Regular, Chili, Lightly Salted. All in all, you have 9 choices.  If you look at the labels,  there are no chemical preservatives added.

Asian Style: with roasted nuts.

Pinoy Style: Malunggay is added!

Mediterranean: with eggplant

When my friend gave me my stash, I was told that the shelf life is 1 year. Once opened, you may keep it in the fridge and it will last more than a year.  Partly right. Nothing lasts in my fridge for more than year. My stomach takes over. In fact, I have no more pâté. 🙁  I have consumed them all. I did not even put it on a cracker and bread. I took a small spoon, scoop the pâté from the jar and off to my mouth it went. LOL!

What is most impressive about this product is that the organization is helping fisherfolks and farmers practice sustainable fishing and farming methods. In fact, when my friend brought me the pâté, he just came from a barrio near my city to educate farmers on cassava farming.

To know more about their organization, click here.

To get updates of their products, “Like” their Facebook page here. You can also shop for their products on this site.