Students and researchers from Benguet State University (BSU) are driving a new technology that turns surplus highland vegetables into dried “chop suey chips,” offering a potential solution to the persistent problem of vegetable dumping in the Cordillera. Developed through a research project from 2021 to 2023, the technology aims to help farmers deal with oversupply that often forces them to discard or give away their produce, resulting in repeated losses.
Dr. Jao-jao Somayden, dean of the BSU College of Home Economics and Technology, said only two adopters are currently using the technology for small-scale production, but the university hopes to partner with the Food Science Research Institute to broaden promotion and attract more processors.
Community Groups Lead Early Production Efforts
The chop suey chips technology is being adopted for free by two community groups under BSU’s extension services. One of them, the United Mothers Livelihood Association (UMLA) in Buguias, has established an approved processing center and is applying for grants to upgrade its equipment. Using BSU’s laboratory-scale vacuum fryer donated by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), UMLA produces about 3,000 packs of 30-gram chips every two weeks, selling each for PHP135 to PHP150.
The Bauko Organic Practitioners Cooperative (BOPC), another adopter, uses a Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Shared Service Facility capable of processing 10 kilograms per batch. Their 30-gram packs sell at PHP110 retail and PHP90 wholesale. The chips—made from carrots, French beans, broccoli with stalks, and cabbage—receive high taste-test scores of 7 to 8, though some potential buyers hesitate due to the price.
Despite this, BSU and provincial officials regularly promote the product outside the province, using it as a unique local gift to introduce the innovation to wider markets.
Call for More Processors to Scale the Technology
BSU officials emphasize that while the technology has strong potential, its impact depends on more processors adopting it.
“The university cannot engage in processing,” Dr. Somayden said, encouraging more groups to take on production using the technology, which BSU offers for free.
BSU president Dr. Kenneth Laruan added that the university will again request larger-capacity equipment from the DTI, with continued support from the Department of Agriculture–Cordillera. The goal is to scale production and make chop suey chips a sustainable response to vegetable waste in Benguet.
