The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly affected the country’s situation on hunger and malnutrition. Many families go hungry and are not able to eat healthy foods due to limited capacity to buy food. Because of this, many do not get the nutrients that they need to be well-nourished and healthy, and become resilient against COVID-19.
To address the growing problem of hunger and malnutrition, the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) approved a resolution on October 2, 2020 providing a dietary supplementation program (DSP) for children 6-23 months and nutritionally-at-risk pregnant women as a strategy to prevent stunting in children during the first 1000 days of life.
The National Nutrition Council (NNC) is the lead agency for the implementation of the national DSP also known as Tutok Kainan. The program is done in collaboration with the IATF on Zero Hunger chaired by Cabinet Secretary Karlo Alexei B. Nograles.
The Tutok Kainan aims to improve the quality and quantity of food and nutrient intakes of beneficiaries by providing nutritious food commodities to pregnant women for 90 days and to children 6-23 months old for 180 days. Priority beneficiaries of the program are nutritionally at-risk or undernourished pregnant mothers and children 6-23 months old. It also ensures the delivery of complementary early childhood care and development (ECCD) services in the first 1000 days pursuant to RA 11148 or the Kalusugan ng Mag-Nanay Act.
The Tutok Kainan for pregnant women will focus on providing dietary supplementation to 24,316 pregnant women from various cities and municipalities across the country including Metro Manila. In NCR, a total of 616 pregnant women from the four (4) LGUs are included as program beneficiaries: Caloocan (424), Navotas (53), Parañaque (75) and Pateros (64). Pregnant women will be provided with enhanced nutribun, hot meals with iron-fortified rice, and ready-to-eat lipid-based nutritional supplement (LNS-SQ) for three (3) months or 90 days.
An important component of the program is nutrition education for beneficiaries. Nutritext on key messages on maternal and infant nutrition and support services are sent daily to all pregnant mothers enrolled in the program. Another component is the real-time monitoring and reporting system done through SMS. The system also allows the pregnant women to send their feedback on the program through texting or SMS.
Prior to the start of the Tutok Kainan, the LGUs conducted social preparation activities for their city/municipal and barangay nutrition committees as well as program beneficiaries. To date, the four (4) LGUs have signed the Memorandum of Understanding which solidifies the partnership between NNC and the LGU in the implementation of the Tutok Kainan.
On March 08, 2021, a kick-off event was conducted in the Municipality of Pateros marking the start of the implementation of the Tutok Kainan Supplementation Program for pregnant women. The event was attended by CabSec Nograles together with NNC Executive Director Azucena M. Dayanghirang, Pateros Municipal Mayor Miguel F. Ponce III, Municipal Nutrition Action Officer (MNAO) Mrs. Jenine Ponce and NNC-NCR Regional Nutrition Program Coordinator Milagros Elisa V. Federizo. Also present were members of the municipal nutrition committee, barangay nutrition scholars, and selected pregnant women who are program beneficiaries. (Read more: https://www.nnc.gov.ph/regional-offices/luzon/national-capital-region/4921-pateros-implements-nnc-s-tutok-kainan-supplementation-program)
Caloocan City has also started the distribution of the enhanced nutribun to beneficiaries on March 15, 2021. Soon to start are the cities of Parañaque and Navotas. Since NCR is still under general community quarantine, the LGUs have decided to do house-to-house distribution of commodities.
However, due to the increasing COVID-19 cases in Metro Manila, NNC decided to temporarily stop the distribution of the nutribun starting March 22, 2021. The LGUs are encouraged to prioritize the program beneficiaries in the provision of food packs and other services while the DSP TK is on hold temporarily.
Written by NOI Joyce Ann P. Pardo, NOII Theresa A. Rivas, and NPC Milagros Elisa V. Federizo
References:
- NNC Guidelines on the Early Childhood Care and Development in the First 1000 Days (ECCD F1K) Program in the Context of COVID-19 Pandemic and related emergencies
- Pardo, J.A.P., Rivas, T.A. and Federizo, M.E.V. (2021, March 18). Pateros implements NNC's Tutok Kainan Supplementation Program. NNC-NCR Webpage. https://www.nnc.gov.ph/regional-offices/luzon/national-capital-region/4921-pateros-implements-nnc-s-tutok-kainan-supplementation-program
