Prosperidad, ADS– Eleven (11) identified municipalities in the Province of Agusan del Sur launched the first day of the dry feeding scheme implementation of the Tutok Kainan – Dietary Supplementation Program (TK-DSP) Phase 3 on February 13, 14, and 20, 2023 respectively.

The target beneficiaries for Tutok Kainan Phase 3 are 13,113 children aged 6-23 months old from twenty-two (22) provinces of the Philippines, including the eleven municipalities.

In Caraga, the Province of Agusan del Sur was identified as one of the target areas of the program with a total of 650 children as beneficiaries. The children will receive food commodities,  good for 180 days or six months, from Monday to Sunday using a dry feeding scheme.

Four different commodities are ready for the beneficiaries: Rice Mongo Blend (RMB), Rice Mongo Sesame Blend (RMSB), Enov’Nutributter, and fortified rice porridge.

The Rice Mongo Blend or RMB is a complementary food developed by the Department of Science and Technology – Food and Nutrition Research Institute (DOST-FNRI), especially for Filipino children.

According to DOST-FNRI, a 30g pack of RMB contains 24g carbohydrates, 4g protein, and 120 kcal which is enough to meet the 15% of recommended energy and 27% recommended protein intake for 6 months to less than 12-month-old children (RENI). It is prepared by adding boiled water until the desired consistency is reached and may be added with mashed fruits or boiled vegetables to enhance the flavor and improve its nutritional value.

Another prepared food technology from DOST-FNRI is the Rice Mongo Sesame Blend (RMSB). It is a ready-to-cook complementary food that has 30g per pack with 24g carbohydrates, 4g protein, and 130 kcal which is enough to provide the 17% recommended energy and 29% recommended protein intake for children 6-12 months old (RENI).  The preparation method for RMB is also applied to RMSB. 

The Enov’Nutributter or the ready-to-eat complementary food paste of Nutriset is a lipid-based nutrient supplement small quantity (LNS-SQ) that has 20g per pack with 2.55g protein and 105 kcal. It is originally intended for children aged between 6 and 12 months at risk of malnutrition but is also now used as an addition to continued breastfeeding and supplementary food for 12 to 24 months old children by providing more than 20 micronutrients needed for growth and cognitive development.

Lastly, Nutrifoods’ fortified rice porridge is a ready-to-cook rice porridge mix made from rice grains and vegetables. It has at least 50g per pack with 5g protein and 170 kcal and also includes 1 sachet of Vita Meena Micronutrient Powder (MNP) that contains 22 vitamins and minerals. For TK-DSP, three flavors of rice porridge will be given to the beneficiaries – champorado, chicken and beef.

These food commodities are delivered to the municipal LGUs in bulk and the municipal LGU shall carry out the forward distribution to barangays and to beneficiaries as part of their roles and responsibilities.

Additionally, LGUs are required by the program guidelines to accomplish the real-time reporting of receipt and distribution of commodities to NNC thru a Google-based form and the submission of monthly reports to the PNAO via a Google-based dynamic file.

Meanwhile, the barangay LGU has to identify a focal person who will receive, inspect and maintain the inventory of delivered commodities and provide counterpart funding for the implementation of the program specifically to offset additional costs such as fuel for the transport of commodities to beneficiaries in far-flung areas.

To date, two commodities, RMB and RMSB, have already delivered to municipalities and distributed to barangays and to beneficiaries. Enov’Nutributter and rice porridge will be delivered for the third to fourth month of the six-month supplementation program.

In Agusan del Sur, the eleven municipalities implementing Tutok Kainan are San Luis, Prosperidad, Esperanza, San Francisco, Bunawan, La Paz, Veruela, Rosario, Sta. Josefa, Trento and Talacogon. #MPRayco