Food maker Alaska Milk Corporation said it is prioritizing the nourishment of Filipino children over imposing huge price adjustments on their milk brand despite the economic uncertainties happening in the country and in the world.

Tarang Gupta, managing director of Alaska Milk Corporation said the company is steadfast in focusing on its core purpose to provide affordable nutrition to Filipinos, despite Alaska not being insulated from the current supply chain and inflation crises.

"We keep modulating our pricing on how the economics are. At this moment in time, we have taken some price increases but are in constant discussion with the Department of Trade and Industry. Our objective is to keep bringing affordable nutrition but also in such a way that the organization can sustain these costs, but at the same time, it is something that our consumers can afford. It's always a balancing act that we work with DTI very closely," Gupta told reporters.

He said in terms of pricing, Alaska is considering multiple factors, which are the global supply chain situation, dairy goods prices worldwide, the impact of foreign exchange, and the capability of consumers to pay.

"So, thus it is a constant calculation due to multiple factors, but also closely interacting with the DTI. Although our products are predominantly produced… evaporated milk, condensed milk, or powdered milk, the raw materials are predominantly imported. So that impacts immediately with the foreign exchange rate," he said.

Last 12 August, the DTI updated the suggested retail prices of prime commodities, maintaining the prices of 151 Stock Keeping Units or 69.27 percent of prices.

On the other hand, 67 products adjusted their SRPs due to rising prices of raw materials and packaging and other costs globally.

Processed milk is among the products that have increased its prices by 3 to 10 percent, along with canned sardines in tomato sauce increasing by 6 percent.

Excellence center
Meanwhile, Alaska Milk, as part of its integral business and purpose to contribute to food security, Alaska puts up the Philippine-Netherlands Dairy Excellence Center.

"To commemorate our golden jubilee this year and to help our country achieve food security, we are establishing the first-ever corporate-led Philippine-Netherlands Dairy Excellence Center," Gupta said.

"This does not only fortify Alaska Milk's mission to bring forth nutrition to every plate and glass of Filipino homes but also strengthen the company's lifelong commitment to bettering the lives of Filipinos as a partner of the government in nation building," Gupta added.

PNDEC is founded through partnerships with the Department of Agriculture, the National Dairy Authority, and the University of the Philippines Los Baños-Dairy Training and Research Institute.

Also, the Embassy of the Kingdom of Netherlands in Manila and CRV, a Dutch cooperative providing genetic products for healthy, efficient cows and other services, serve as service partners for the said endeavor.

"As part of the current administration's 8-point socio-economic agenda, one of the main drivers of our push for growth and employment will be in the agricultural sector. Thus, this Dairy Excellent Center will be of great help to our agriculture, especially the dairy sector, to provide for the growing milk needs of the country," DA senior undersecretary Domingo Panganiban, who attended the ceremony, said on Wednesday.

"I fully support Alaska Milk Corporation in its efforts in making milk affordable and accessible to Filipinos. Since 2019, in support of dairy development in the country, I have funded the dairy areas expansion strengthening the ALAB-Karbawan Project through herd build-up with the Philippine Carabao Center," Senator Cynthia Villar, the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food Chairman, for her part said.