Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles recognized the efforts of the local government of Caramoan in Camarines Sur towards mitigating incidences of stunted growth among its child population during the ceremonial launch of the ‘Tutok Kainan Dietary Supplementation Program’ on Wednesday by the Task Force Zero Hunger and National Nutrition Council.
“I am thrilled by this accomplishment because from 46.54 percent in 2016, the number of children who are experiencing stunted growth in your municipality has now been reduced to 18.5 percent just last December,” the Cabinet Secretary said.
The ‘Tutok Kainan’ of the Zero Hunger Task Force is just one of the many programs and interventions by the state under the current National Food Policy aimed at confronting numerous problems attributed to hunger and malnutrition.
“This proves that if we will focus our attention on a problem, we can respond to it successfully. We need to expand on this achievement hence we are launching our ‘Tutok Kainan Dietary Supplementation Program’ in different regions for our pregnant mothers and younger children,” Nograles added.
The ‘Tutok Kainan’ of the Zero Hunger Task Force is just one of the many programs and interventions by the state under the current National Food Policy aimed at confronting numerous problems attributed to hunger and malnutrition.
Apart from the school-based feeding programs, other ongoing projects listed under the said policy include the Infant and Young Child Feeding, Integrated Management of Acute Malnutrition, National Dietary Supplementation, Micronutrient Supplementation and Mandatory Food Fortification programs.
According to Nograles, ‘Tutok Kainan’ is one way of responding to what the Zero Hunger Task Force said is missing in many state-funded programs, concentrating on the ‘First 1000 Days of Life,’ which is crucial towards helping our nation achieve its target productivity rate two decades from now.
Nograles said there is no known cure for stunted growth and it will be a wasted opportunity if the state will not intervene to help address this issue in the first two years of a child’s life. He added that leaving this problem unaddressed will affect the economy in the long run.
‘Tutok Kainan Dietary Supplementation Program’ is the latest flagship program of the Zero Hunger Task Force following its Mandatory Food Fortification program and the Enhanced Partnership Against Hunger and Poverty.
“That’s why the state is focusing on expanding this program despite the challenges of the pandemic,” Nograles said.
The program has already been set in motion earlier in Pateros, Bacolod City and Negros Occidental. In Bicol, the province of Camarines Sur hosted the launching, where Dr. Azucena Dayanghirang of the National Nutrition Council, Governor Miguel Villafuerte, Mayor Marco Chavez, and various regional agencies and local government representatives attended.
The ‘Tutok Kainan Dietary Supplementation Program’ is the latest flagship program of the Zero Hunger Task Force following its Mandatory Food Fortification program and the Enhanced Partnership Against Hunger and Poverty that focuses on connecting various state feeding programs for the farmers and fishermen nationwide.