Discovering Wild Plants To Forage In The Philippines

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Foraging, the natural art of scavenging for local ingredients, is thriving in the culinary world. The cost of food in the Philippines increased by 5.7% in May of 2018, causing families to look for more options in fresh produce and dairy products. As “food inflation” continues, despite the economic improvement, finding natural means of produce provides more than what the local groceries, sari-sari stores, and carinderia have to offer. In fact, our native country has so much to offer other than what is grown in the regions of Benguet or Mindanao.

Foraging: Stepping up to organic farms

This may be an unpopular concept for Manileans. However, you might be surprised to see the availability of natural food that grows along the less populated places in the country. Due to rapid industrialization and crop cultivation, our lands are quickly being eaten away upon acres of quality soil.  As a result, we turn to cultivated and processed food items. But, that does not mean we cannot find edible plants to forage with little to no cost at all.

Wild raspberry, Rubus rosifolius Linn

Locally known as “Tungaw-tungaw,” the native fruit is hollow with a tangy, strawberry taste. You can find this abundant plant in shrubs that grow up to six feet with whitish flowers and red fruits that resemble raspberries. They can be eaten raw or processed into juice, wine, or ripe jam. What’s more, these fruits are a rich source of phytochemicals that help fight Alzheimer’s and cancer cells.

Ti, Cordyline terminalis or Cordyline fruticosa

The Ti plant is an ornamental shrub with smooth, elliptic leaves up to 2 feet long. It comes in a variety of colors, such as red, green, yellow, pink, purple, and brown. Ti is a native plant in the Far East and works wonders as an edible source of survival, containing starch. The roots are used to make Okolehao, an alcoholic beverage. You can eat them baked or boiled, never raw.

Screw pine, Pandanus

Commonly seen in rainforests and mangroves, the screw pine can grow up to nine meters long, with stiff and saw-like edged leaves. The fruits are rough, similar to pineapples, yet the taste may be astringent and bitter. It can be eaten raw or cooked.

Are you planning to do some foraging in your local area or backyard? Isn’t it exciting to know that the palms and plants we often ignore are actually rich sources of food for survival and health? This time, you'll know which wild plants to look for during your next trip outdoors.

Your Fridge Might Be Making Your Child Prone to Sickness!

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Many of us have the impression that storing our foods in the refrigerator will keep them fresh and safe. But, not having your appliance set at the right temperature can create a breeding ground for harmful bacteria to grow and flourish, which can result in an unsafe environment for food storage for you and your kids.

Improper food storage and sanitation can lead to a high risk of foodborne illnesses, especially this rainy season. Among these diseases is listeriosis, a serious infection caused by eating food with the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes.

Listeriosis can be dangerous to pregnant women, newborns, children, and elderly, and can result to   fever, muscle aches, or even gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea or diarrhea.  

As such, refrigerating a food contaminatedwith Listeria can cause it to spread to other food products inside the refrigerator that may be making your child prone to sickness.

The good news, however, is that there are various ways we can do to reduce the risk of listeriosis at home by raising anawareness on proper refrigerator care to help improve the quality of food that you and your kids eat.

Consume Use-By Date food products immediately

Use-by date refers to the final day by which perishable goods should be consumed.  After the recommended date, food quality is likely to go down and the food safety is lessened.

Therefore, it is important to make sure that food products are eaten before their use by date and not after.

You may realize that use-by date products spoil easily. Thus, it is crucial for you to follow storage instructions. However, take note that you should follow the use by dates on unopened ready-to-eat food products and not storing food packages after they have been opened. Storing opened food products in the refrigerator can increase the risk of Listeria to grow. 

Clean your refrigerator regularly

It is important to wipe food spills immediately to keep Listeria from growing and spreading to other foods. You can clean the inside walls and shelves with hot water and a mild liquid dishwashing detergent then rinse it thoroughly.

Likewise, make sure to throw old and spoiled foods that may cause growth and spread of bacteria. Try moving older foods in the front part of your fridge to make it more visible so that it can be consumed before it gets spoiled.

Keep raw meat, poultry, or fish, which may contains several bacteria, from cooked meals. Also, make sure that raw meats are at the bottom part of the shelf to avoid it from dripping. However, it is still better to have them sealed in a tight container.

Properly sanitizing your refrigerator can avoid different types of bacteria like Coliforms, Vibrio, salmonella, e-coli, Botulinum, and Pseudomonas—all of which harmful to the human health—from growing on foods such as raw meat, milk, fish, and more.

Keep your refrigerator at the right temperature

Having your refrigerator at the proper temperature can avoid or slow the growth of Listeria. To check if your refrigerator is at the right temperature, put an appliance thermometer inside and make the necessary adjustment in the temperature control. Makes sure that your refrigerator register at 40°F (4°C) or below and your freezer at 0°F (-18°C).

Refrigerating below the recommended 4℃  will significantly slow the growth of bacteria. But as the temperature rises, the bacteria can grow at a faster rate, which can result to spoilage, wastage, and food poisoning.

Your refrigerator plays an important role in keeping your food safe and free from any bacteria that can result to foodborne illnesses. In fact, operating at the wrong temperature can leave room for the bacteria to get the nutrients and temperature it need to grow inside your refrigerator.

While refrigerators can be a breeding ground for foodborne illnesses, Beko Refrigerator’s Active Ioniser neutralises the bacteria that cause effluvia to create an antibacterial effect to keep the refrigerator from harmful pathogens such as Listeria. Also, Its Blue Light Technology allows for a continued process of photosynthesis, allowing fresh produce to maintain their natural flavors and nutritional value for up to 30 days.

On top of that, the Beko Refrigerator’s new age of NeoFrost Technology keeps the humidity of their refrigerator at an optimum level of up to 90 percent in the cooler for longer freshness. It also makes for a more stable and faster cooling for both the cooler and the freezer compartments at A+ energy efficiency level. Moreover, itsindependent cooling systems also helps in preventing odor transfer in between the compartments to keep the quality of the air inside at maximum levels.

To know more about Beko and Beko Philippines, like the Beko Philippines fan page (@BekoPH) or visit the website at www.beko.ph.

Written By Dyeun Zapanta, Assistant General Manager for Beko

Fortinet Signs Threat Information Sharing Agreement with INTERPOL

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Formal Relationship Showcases Public and Private Collaboration in Combating Cybercrime & Privacy Protection, Globally

News SummaryFortinet, a global leader in broad, automated and integrated cybersecurity solutions, today announced that it has formalized its threat sharing with INTERPOL. 

• The goal of the agreement is to proactively combat cybercrime and threats to privacy globally through the sharing of threat information generated by Fortinet FortiGuard Labs global threat research team.

• Fortinet will be involved in operational briefings at INTERPOL and vice versa. A threat intelligence expert from Fortinet will be assigned to collaborate with experts at the INTERPOL Global Complex for Innovation (IGCI), helping provide a clearer understanding of the current threat landscape, which in turn will help the INTERPOL team and law enforcement use the information to prevent risks to security and privacy.

• While the agreement formalizes the cooperation between Fortinet and INTERPOL, both organizations have been operationally collaborating for over two years.

“Tackling cybercrime cannot be resolved unilaterally by law enforcement alone, but is a joint responsibility which requires trusted relationships with the private sector. This new agreement with Fortinet will ensure that law enforcement have access to the most comprehensive threat intelligence necessary to take effective action against cybercrime”,Silvino Schlickmann Jr., acting executive director, INTERPOL Global Complex for Innovation.

A History of Close Threat Information Cooperation Between Fortinet and INTERPOL

Fortinet has been an active member of an expert working group within INTERPOL for more than two years, providing cyber threat intelligence which has helped discover and identify multiple cybercrime operations. Last year, Fortinet was one of several private sector companies that provided support to anINTERPOL-led operation targeting cybercrime across the ASEAN region, resulting in the identification of nearly 9,000 command-and-control (C2) servers as well as hundreds of compromised websites, including government portals. Previously, Fortinet also helped uncover through close threat information cooperation between INTERPOL, Fortinet, and other private sector partners, a group of online fraudsters behind thousands of online scams totaling more than $60 million and involving hundreds of victims worldwide.

Fortinet Creating a Foundation for the Future of Cyber Threat Information Sharing and Privacy Protection Through Strategic Global Partnerships

Fortinet helps shape the future of threat information standards and protocols through ongoing collaboration with global public safety and industry organizations. Fortinet is a founding member of the Cyber Threat Alliance (CTA) established in 2015. In 2016 Fortinetannounced an industry partnership agreement within the framework of the NATO Industry Cyber Partnership (NICP) with the NATO Communications and Information (NCI) Agency.

“Organizations continue to struggle against evolving threats, an expanding attack surface, and a growing security skills shortage. Law enforcement, in particular, can also be hampered by the fact that cybercrime often crosses political and jurisdictional boundaries. Actionable threat intelligence with global visibility is the best way to move from being reactive to proactive in a world where cybercrime has no borders. No single organization has a complete view into the security landscape, which is why threat information sharing and collaboration between public and private organizations is critical”,Derek Manky, global security strategist, Fortinet.