According to the Department of Trade and Industry (2018), up to 60% of small agricultural producers fail to meet proper packaging and labeling standards. This often limits their access to supermarkets and higher-value markets, even for high-quality products. To address this challenge, the Agricultural Training Institute – Regional Training Center 8 (ATI-RTC 8) conducted a three-day intensive training titled From Compliance to Customer Impact: Training on Packaging and Labelling, held on September 23–25, 2025 at ATI-RTC 8, VSU Campus, Baybay City, Leyte.
Thirty participants, including farm cooperators of Learning Site for Agriculture (LSA) in Eastern Visayas, mastered the legal requirements, principles, and standards essential for the local market, covering the Food Safety Act, the Consumer Act, and FDA Guidelines. More importantly, they gained practical skills in demonstrating proper labeling practices for mandatory product and nutritional information, applying basic design concepts to create attractive and marketable product labels, recognizing packaging as the product's first form of advertising, and improving existing packaging using cost-effective and readily available resources. The training was facilitated by faculty from the Department of Food Science and Technology of Visayas State University (VSU).
Farmers overwhelmingly expressed their commitment to implementing the lessons learned immediately. Mr. Ray S. Olazo of CCS Integrated Farm noted the direct link between presentation and sales: "I was reminded that packaging and labeling is the first form of advertising—it’s the first thing a customer sees to make a product saleable. We are fortunate to have been a part of this training."
Likewise, Mr. Eugenio Obispo of Verol Farm, a GAP-certified producer, shared that he previously used simple methods, such as plastic or paper, to sell his goods. "Now, I have learned that it is more appropriate to follow regulatory requirements and compliance, so I can sell my products at a higher and more reasonable price," he said.
Ms. Jojeanmay Linganay of Wavecrest Integrated Farm highlighted the eye-opening nature of the compliance lessons. "We realized we were missing many things, such as nutritional facts and information panels," she said. "We also learned how to make our products more presentable and appealing through proper packaging and detailed labels. We will definitely implement this when we return to our farm."
As part of their commitment, the participating LSAs pledged to continuously improve their products and serve as examples and advocates of sustainable and competitive agri-enterprises in their communities. This initiative is expected to significantly boost their market readiness and profitability.
