This is my answer to Teacher Julie’s Weekly Question: Do you think NOW is really the time to patronize our locally-made milk and milk products or would you still trust products manufactured in other countries?

We have always patronized a local milk brand ever since Nico was born.  Since it was not possible for Nico to be breastfed when he was an infant (he had a congenital heart disease back then and sucking was a struggle), milk formula has become his food staple.

Our trusted milk brands were all manufactured by Nestle Philippines.  Being a preemie back then, Nico had Pre-Nan until he reached the average infant weight of 3 kilograms; then Nan1 from 2months to 6months; Nan2 from 7months to 1year; Neslac with Honey from 1year old to 1.6years old; and finally Nido Fortified from 1.7years old up to when he was 3years old.  We then shifted to Magnolia Fresh Milk on advice of the doctor, but only a few months ago, since Nico’s on track of being within the normal weight range, we’re back to Nido Fortified as Nico prefers its taste than Magnolia.

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Of course, our patronage of Nestle products were based on the doctor’s advice.  But added to that, I’ve always believed in the quality and safety of Nestle products.  Why?

Here’s a consumer tip: when buying a locally-made product, choose those that are exported abroad.  Because products manufactured locally and are exported to international markets equates to saying that these products passed through very stringent export requirements and standards.   For example, milk products that bear the GMP, HACCP and even the Halal seal only goes to show that they are assured of quality and safety.

In the case of Nestle, it’s milk products are also exported abroad, particularly in the ASEAN market.  In fact, Nestle Philippines’ production accounts for about 98 percent of the country’s total growing up milk exports to the ASEAN market. The main countries of destination of Nestle’s dairy exports from the Philippines are Indonesia and Malaysia, both Muslim countries.  And knowing Muslim countries, they are really very particular about consuming only the products that are Halal-certified.

And another good thing about Nestle products is that its product labels are consumer-friendly.  As a matter of fact, the Philippine Department of Trade & Industry cited Nestle Philippines for the information it prints on its product packs for the benefit of consumers.

Found on the labels of all Nestlé products is the Nutritional Compass which has four major elements: the Nutrition Information, Good to Know, Good to Remember, and Talk to Us.

The Nutrition Information provides basic information about the composition of the product, in terms of the energy it provides, protein and carbohydrates it contains, etc. This box also contains the Philippine RENI (Required Energy and Nutrient Intakes), which indicates the level of energy and nutrients intake considered adequate to maintain the health and wellbeing of nearly all healthy persons in the population, based on current scientific knowledge.

The Good to Know box highlights the nutritional benefits of a product.

The Good to Remember box gives consumers good nutrition and healthy lifestyle habits and tips to follow.

The Talk to Us portion is where we put the contact points where consumers can reach us- our hotline 898-0061, our web address www.nestle.com.ph, and our postal address (if the space allows) P.O. Box 155, Manila. To date, the hotline remains to be the most preferred contact point among Nestlé consumers.

“Consumer feedback is very important to us. By opening lines of communication with consumers, we learn and understand their experiences with our products and how we can make things better for them. This gives us the opportunity to win every moment with consumers and strengthen our relationship with them,” explained Consumer Services Head Au Alipao.  (Nestle Philippines Website)

Just so it is clear, this is NOT a paid post.  Just a happy consumer speaking here. *wink*