MANILA, Philippines — Sardines manufacturer Mega Global Corp. is hopeful it will sustain its growth this year as it continues to improve the quality of its products and prioritize the health of its workforce amid the strong demand for canned goods brought on by the pandemic.
In an email to The Star, Mega Global chief technical and innovations officer Malcolm Tiu Lim said the company maintained double digit growth in sales in the past year.
“Mega has been growing at a rapid pace with its innovations coming into play to provide better quality products. We have already set our targets and are always hopeful for the rest of the year,” he said.
Lim said while a lot of businesses were negatively impacted by the pandemic, Mega Global was fortunate to thrive as it produces essential food products.
“The heightened community quarantines increased the demand for Mega products, most especially Mega Sardines,” Lim said.
“Consumers stocked up on canned goods as their pantry staples during these times and many LGUs also demanded canned products for provision to their constituents in many communities,”Lim said.
He said the demand for canned food that can be stored in shelves for a very long time is high.
“Hence, there has been a need for us to produce more to meet the demand from our consumers,” said Lim.
Just like any other company, Lim said Mega Global was also challenged when the lockdowns were first imposed in March 2020.
“While it had been hard at first, especially with the restrictions implemented, our operations were slowly able to adjust to the new normal and new demands. We have also increased our availability not just in physical stores, but also in e-commerce platforms, in order to address our market who are not yet comfortable in going out to buy their supplies,” he said.
As part of the company’s efforts to adapt to the pandemic, Lim said they ensured that high food safety standards are being followed by their manufacturing group.
Lim said the company had acquired new facial bio detection technology, which includes a thermal sensor, to detect if the person is sick and to capture the attendance of its employees.
“Mega also implemented extra measures in our Zamboanga fishing and manufacturing operations since the onset of the pandemic with strong practice of COVID-19 protocols,”Lim said.
Lim said the company aims to further protect the health of its employees by conducting a vaccination drive.
“We aim to make the vaccine available to our people as a form of protection, for their security and peace of mind so that they can be more productive despite health challenges, and they can take care of their families and themselves,”Lim said.