San Miguel Philippines vs. Ramar Foods USA

Sa mga hindi nakakaalam, ang San Miguel Corporation ang unang lumikha at nagpausbong sa tatak ng Magnolia ice cream sa Pilipinas noon pang dekada 1920. Hanggang ngayon, ang San Miguel pa rin ang nagmamay-ari sa pangalan at kilalang logo ng Magnolia sa Pilipinas.

Ganunpaman, may pamilya sa California ang nagsimulang gumamit sa pangalan at kaparehong logo ng Magnolia noong 1970s. Ang pangalan ng pamilyang ito ay Quesada at ang tawag nila sa kanilang kumpanya ay Ramar.

Habang may nangyayaring corporate restructuring sa SMC noong 1990s, nakuha ng Ramar na iparehistro ang Magnolia sa Estados Unidos. Sa kanilang aplikasyon, sinabi nila na ang “First Use in Commerce Anywhere” ng Magnolia ay 1972. Sa laking gulat ng marami, binalewala ng mga Amerikanong trademark examiner na ang totoong petsa ay 1920s.

Hanggang ngayon, ang nakararami sa ating mga kababayan ay nag-aakalang ang “Magnolia” ice cream na binibili nila sa Estados Unidos at Canada ay ang produktong kinalakihan ng mga Pinoy sa Pilipinas. Mali ang pag-aakalang ito. Kahit pareho ang logo, walang kinalaman ang San Miguel Philippines sa paggawa ng Ramar ng ice cream o anupamang frozen meats. Iba ang sangkap. Iba ang teknolohiya. Iyan rin ang dahilan kung bakit walang AlDub flavors tulad ng Avocado Macchiato na mabibili sa Amerika.

Ito ang memorandum na ipinalabas ng Ninth Circuit Court sa isang kaso na kinasasangkutan ng Ramar Foods at San Miguel Philippines. Read more

RAMAR PUTS UP 16 TRADEMARKS AS COLLATERAL

Ramar Foods, the company notorious in the Filipino American community for being shameless brand pirates, has reportedly put up 16 of their trademarks as security interest to Comerica Bank, including the controversial Magnolia and Pampanga’s Best names. Read more

PhilAm Food Reviews

In February 2016, a Philam Food customer named Irene Nicholson felt she had had enough and decided to publicly voice out her grievance about receiving expired food from its online grocery store.

She wrote that she had already once before received food she had ordered past the expiration date and had decided to stay quiet that first time but unfortunately, on another order, she received expired food again. After that second time, she decided to go public.

If you want to order Filipino food, groceries, and books online, be sure to check Amazon, which now sells everything from Baguio walis tambo to Growers Peanuts.

CONSUMER PROTECTION ACTIONS

If you feel you are a victim who can be part of one or multiple class-action lawsuits against PhilAm Food, please email [email protected]

Examples of potential plaintiffs being sought:

  • Individuals who experienced the effects of a possible data breach after making a purchase on their online store
  • Individuals who received expired food after purchasing on their online store
  • Individuals who bought expired food in their physical store
  • Individuals who witnessed rodent infestation in their physical store
  • Individuals who were told by the store clerks or company representatives in person, by email, via social media, or by phone that ALL their products are sourced directly from the Philippines
  • Individuals who have seen web/store signage or announcements that ALL their products are authentically from the Philippines
  • Individuals who were charged hidden fees on store transactions, particularly relating to Paypal refunds on the online store
  • Individuals who were told that certain items in their inventory (Ramar Foods’ Magnolia, Pampanga’s Best, Magnolia Meats, Martin Purefoods) are made by Philippine companies.

In particular, in the case of Magnolia ice cream, if you were told that “it’s the same as the Philippines'” or given that impression, you can directly email [email protected]

Please write down, even if only for your own notes for now, all the relevant details you remember, including but not limited to dates, location, and persons involved.

UPDATE: After years of scandal, Phil-Am Food changed its name to Filstop in mid-2016; however, on New Jersey’s books, Phil-am Food and Filstop are still the same entity, so if you have cause to file a lawsuit against Phil-Am Food, you can still proceed and sue Filstop.

Boycott Frescano Frozen Bangus (Milkfish)

Boycott Frescano Frozen Bangus (Milkfish) !!!

It belongs to Ramar Foods, the American company that stole the Magnolia brand and logo, as well the Pampanga’s Best brand, from the Philippines.

Do NOT buy any of the following products:

Frescano Rellenong Bangus 16 ounces 1.80 pounds
Frescano Deboned / Boneless Bangus Ffd
Frescano Bangus Belly
Frescano Marinated Baby Bangus Bsm
Frescano Smoked Baby Bangus Sdb
Frescano Smoked Bangus Sd
0011547999160

As an alternative, look for the Philippine brand Sarangani Bay instead.

We are urging our fellow Filipino Americans to not spend their hard-earned dollars lining the dirty pockets of companies like Ramar that engage in unethical practices, such as this blatant trademark and brand piracy. Do not condone the theft of Philippine intellectual property.

There are honest companies who are more deserving of our patronage.

Boycott Manila Gold Calamansi

Manila Gold Frozen Calamansi is a product manufactured by Ramar Foods, the company that has pirated food brands from the Philippines, including the widely known Magnolia Ice Cream and Pampanga’s Best.

We encourage a boycott of all products manufactured by the OMGpeke company Ramar Foods.

Exercise your power as a consumer.

Do NOT buy Manila Gold Frozen Calamansi.