This is intended to address short-term hunger and undernutrition by providing hot meals to undernourished (severely wasted and wasted) Kinder-Grade 6 learners in all divisions, covering 120 days. The meal provided must meet 1/3 of the Recommended Energy and Nutrient Intakes (RENI) for children per Phil. Dietary Reference Intake (PDRI).
Mandated by RA 11037 “An Act Institutionalizing a National Feeding Program for Undernourished Children in Public Day Care, Kindergarten and Elementary Schools to combat Hunger and Undernutrition among Filipino children and Appropriating Funds therefor” as one of the components of the National Feeding Program, this is intended for undernourished public school children from kindergarten to grade six (6) that includes the provision of at least one (1) fortified meal for a period of not less than one hundred twenty (120) days in a year.
Mandated also by RA 11037, in coordination with other national government agencies, this is for the incorporation of fresh milk and fresh milk-based food products in the fortified meals and cycle menu per RA 8976, the Philippine Food Fortification Act of 2000.
The implementation of the School-Based Feeding Program (SBFP) aims to address hunger and encourage learners to enroll, to contribute to the improvement of their nutritional status, provide nourishment for their growth and development and help boost their immune system, and enhance and improve their health and nutrition values.
Included in the FY 2018 School-Based Feeding Program (SBFP) targets are Undernourished (severely wasted, wasted & stunted) Kinder to Grade 6 Public School learners. Over 19% of the targeted learners or 33,979 beneficiaries benefited in the program as supported by the DepEd Order No. 39, series of 2017 titled Operational Guidelines on the Implementation of School-Based Feeding Program for SYs 2017-2020.