LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – In a bid to transform surplus highland veggies from farmyard casualties into crunchy cash cows, Benguet State University (BSU) has rolled out an innovative “chop suey chips” technology, turning carrots, French beans, broccoli stalks, and cabbage into vacuum-fried snacks that could slash the mountainside’s notorious produce dumping. Born from a three-year research grind (2021-2023), the project spotlights a chronic pain point for Cordillera farmers: Oversupply that rots in fields or gets gifted away, gutting incomes and gumming up markets. “We’re not just snacking; we’re saving,” quipped BSU dean Dr. Jao-jao Somayden, her eyes twinkling with the promise of plates full of purpose.
The chips – think crispy, colorful bites with that signature chop suey tang – are the brainchild of BSU’s Food Science cluster, designed to rescue the rejects that farmers once consigned to compost. Two adapters are already munching on the method gratis, courtesy of the university’s extension arm, but scaling up demands a nudge from the Department of Science and Technology’s (DOST) Food Science Research Institute. “We have two adapters producing small batches of vacuum-sealed fried chop suey chips right now,” Somayden shared, “but we might loop in DOST to hype the product and lure more adopters.”
Spotlight on the pioneers: The United Mothers Livelihood Association (UMLA) in Buguias, fresh off greenlighting their processing center, cranks out 3,000 packs of 30-gram chips every two weeks using BSU’s lab-scale vacuum fryer – a DOST donation that’s equal parts wizardry and warmth. At P135-P150 a pop, they’re a premium nibble, but tasters score them 7-8 for flavor, only to balk at the price tag. “Quality’s there, but affordability’s the hurdle,” Somayden lamented, eyeing grants to gear up and gift packs beyond Benguet’s borders.
Enter the Bauko Organic Practitioners Cooperative (BOPC), armed with a Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Shared Service Facility that processes 10 kilos per batch. Their 30-gram packs fly at P90 wholesale and P110 retail, a steal that hints at mass appeal. Both groups are all-in on the tech, but the real magic? It’s free – BSU’s way of seeding self-sufficiency without strings.
BSU president Dr. Kenneth Laruan isn’t stopping at snacks; he’s gunning for bigger fryers via DTI, with the Department of Agriculture-Cordillera (DA-CAR) backing the play through Benguet’s Agri-Pinoy Trading Center. “The university can’t dive into processing – that’s your turf,” Somayden told potential partners, “but we’re all in on tech transfer to keep those veggies from vanishing.”
For Benguet’s bean-to-table trailblazers, this chop suey crunch isn’t just a munch – it’s a movement, biting back against waste with every satisfying snap. As the holidays loom with their harvest highs and lows, these chips could be the snack that saves the season, proving that in the Cordilleras, even leftovers have a legend to live.