The Department of Education (DepEd) and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will include the enhanced nutribun (e-nutribun) in their feeding programs, according to Food and Nutrition Research Institute Director Mario Capanzana on Monday.
“We are calling for possible adoptors (of the e-nutribun). DepEd needs the commodity for its feeding program. The DSWD also needs it for its supplementary feeding program for the kids,” he told the Philippine News Agency in an interview.
Capanzana said the feeding program would begin even sans the face-to-face classes, as both agencies plan to serve this via the community program which would distribute these to houses. This would also be distributed through the DSWD’s Child Development Centers.
He said that DepEd used to provide hot meals, but since mass gatherings have been prohibited, cooking may seem impossible these days. Thus, the DepEd found a way to support the nutritional requirements of children, especially during the pandemic.
“We are happy that we have the full support of DSWD and DepEd. They committed to buying the e-nutribun that our partner entrepreneurs like bakeshops would produce,” Capanzana said.
The partner bakeshops would supply the requirements of DepEd, he added.
Capanzana said a virtual business meeting was held recently, with about 100 possible adoptors in attendance. including those who committed to have a partnership with DepEd and DSWD and supply the demand.
The project will be rolled out nationwide he said.
“We still have (to conduct) trainings and assessment of the adoptors. We need to check if they will do the right formulation, the right caloric and protein count, and the micronutrients,” he added.
Earlier, he described the e-nutribun as an enhanced and more nutritious version of the nutribun in the 1970s.
The e-nutribun has an improved texture, while still carrying the requirement of more or less 500 kilocalories. Other micronutrients such as Vitamin A, iron, and iodine, were added by putting natural ingredients like squash, Capanzana said. (PNA)
Photo Credit: www.pia.gov.ph
