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MANILA -- Filipinos riding out the coronavirus pandemic in their homes are looking for recipes to transform canned goods in their pantries into family meals, Century Pacific Food Inc said Monday.

Consumers are cutting the frequency of their grocery trips but are buying more at a time to avoid catching the virus, said Century Pacific Food Inc COO Greg Banzon.

"People are a little bit worried to venture out and stay for a long time in grocery stores so the shopping trips are less but basket sizes are a little higher in view of the need to stock up," Banzon said.

"Consumers have started looking for value for money opportunity especially the D E socioeconomic class. Our strategy is to continue to engage consumers digitally through providing meal options and different recipes," he added.

Demand for canned goods surged at the start of the lockdown in March and fell slightly the following month as consumers adjusted, he said. Century Tuna, 555, Argentina, Angel and Wow! are among the brands under Century Pacific.

Poor families reduced consumption of non-essential products by 18 percent, he said. Prices will be steady for now, he said.

• Century Tuna maker says supply enough during COVID-19 lockdown