Gov’t action plan targets to curb malnutrition

The National Nutrition Council (NNC) on Monday introduced a national plan which aims to reduce all forms of malnutrition among Filipinos of all ages by 2028.

NNC Executive Director Assistant Secretary Azucena Dayanghirang said that the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition (PPAN) targets to address nutrition problems in the country, particularly undernutrition, overnutrition, micronutrient deficiency, food security, and poor infant and young child feeding practices.

Citing data from the Social Weather Stations (SWS), she said that about 2.7 million Filipino families (10.4%) experienced involuntary hunger in the second quarter of 2023 due to lack of food.

“Although this was a decrease from the December 2022 levels of 11.8% roughly 3 million Filipino families, it must be noted that these values are still higher than the 8.8% hunger rate prior to the COVID-19 pandemic,” she said.

Meanwhile, she said three out of ten Filipino households (33.4%) experienced moderate or severe food insecurity, while 2.0% were severely food insecure.

“This means that food insecure households are either compromised in food quality and variety, reducing food quantity, or skipping meals or having no food at all to consume for a day or more,” Dayanghirang added.

According to her, the PPAN is part of the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028 and highlights strategies to provide Filipinos with healthier diets, better practices, and improved access to quality services.

Dayanghirang also said that 16 national government agencies initially committed a P592.7 billion budget for the whole six years to implement the interventions under PPAN.

Health Secretary Ted Herbosa, for his part, stressed that nutrition is most critical from the first day of pregnancy to the second year of the birth of a child. If neglected, he said poor nutrition would result in the child’s stunting and poor brain development.

“The war against malnutrition has long been the agenda of every administration and it is rightfully so because our beloved country will not attain the full benefits of socioeconomic development if we have millions of children and women suffering from all forms of malnutrition,” the Health chief said.

In March, President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. urged lawmakers to develop and enshrine into law policies that will help eradicate malnutrition and uplift the standards of primary health care and nutrition in the Philippines.—LDF, GMA Integrated News