Food Scientist Proclaims Potential for Pohnpei Food Products

by Dr. Lois Englberger

A recently completed consultancy report by Dr. Richard Beyer, food scientist based in Fiji, indicates that there is a great potential in new Pohnpei food products and also recommends the establishment of a central small-scale food processing facility.

This recommendation was also expressed at the close of the 1-week small-scale food processing workshop that Dr. Beyer facilitated. Over 100 men and women, including leaders, private sector members, farmers, housewives, and technical staff joined in this training October 4-8, as supported by the Island Food Community of Pohnpei and assisted by Pohnpei State Government and certain local counterpart organizations.

The purpose of the workshop, held at the Seabreeze Hotel and Catholic Mission was to encourage increased use of locally grown crops and to develop food products that can be preserved and marketed, as well as to increase consumption of micronutrient-rich local foods such as the yellow-fleshed varieties that have health benefits.

Some of the food products produced included fruits in syrup (pineapple), jams (banana coconut jam), chutney (using doismango and green papaya), chips (using Karat, Daiwang, and other banana varieties and yam), pickles, and sauces, including a Tobasco-like sauce using green papaya and chilli (sele). Vinegar was prepared using over-ripe bananas and yeast. Other new food products used these local food crops: breadfruit, taro, sweet potato, chestnut (mworopw), karertek citrus (kalamansi), star apple (ansu), pandanus (deipw, kipar), cucumber, pumpkin, and guava.

The participants were amazed at the food products that they could make using food crops that they had available. A group of legislators visited on the last day and watched the three working groups in action. One in the legislators group said, "I am really impressed that the participants have learned so much in such a short period of time. This training is really worth-while."

However, the next important step is ACTION. Mr. Adelino Lorens, Pohnpei Chief of Agriculture and Chairman of the Island Food Community of Pohnpei, explained that the other workshop recommendations are that all participants should first utilize what they have learned and get to work, and that then the recommendations to establish a cooperative and a central food processing facility should be considered.

Dr. Beyer's visit and the workshop was supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), and Sight and Life.