Is Ma Ling disappearing from groceries for good?

The pork variant has been absent since 2019, while the chicken version is getting harder to find.

The notorious Ma Ling luncheon meat that many Filipinos have grown to love may be disappearing from Philippine grocery shelves, with consumers reporting that even its chicken-based version is becoming harder to find.

With the rainy season prompting many to stock up on canned goods for emergencies, Facebook and Threads users noticed that Ma Ling was largely unavailable at major supermarket chains. “Reklamo ko lang: bakit wala nang Ma Ling sa mga supermarket?” read one Facebook post from August 17.

Ma Ling was included in a ban on imported canned pork products in 2019 due to the threat of African swine flu. Since then, the original pork variant has largely been absent from Philippine grocery shelves.

The product was reformulated into a chicken-based variant in 2020 to comply with the imported pork ban. While some grocery chains continued to carry the chicken version, consumers have recently noticed that this variant, too, has become harder to find.

The Department of Agriculture lifted the imported pork ban in April 2026. However, the lifting of the ban has yet to bring the original pork-based Ma Ling back to grocery shelves, adding to speculation that the brand could be disappearing from the Philippine market altogether.

Ma Ling is manufactured by Shanghai Maling Aquarius Co. under the Bright Food Group, one of China’s largest food and beverage companies. While it is unclear when the luncheon meat brand entered the Philippine market, many Filipinos recall growing up with the brand in the 1960s and 1970s.

Many Filipinos remember Ma Ling not only for its taste, but also for the rumors that surrounded the product. Some recall urban stories of the product being made from mystery meat, or even human remains, a rumor that likely sprouted from various instances of counterfeit and imitation Ma Ling being flagged. The legitimate Ma Ling is approved by the local Food and Drug Administration, ensuring that the now chicken-based product is safe for consumption.

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