DILG pushes vitamin-enriched foods to address hidden hunger
The government's Food Fortification Program is further strengthened by the Department of the Interior and Local Government's (DILG) memorandum urging local chief executives nationwide to support the implementation of the program to help address the problem of hidden hunger in the country.
Republic Act 8976, or the Food fortification Act provides for the voluntary fortification of processed food and mandatory fortification of staple food, such as rice, flour, cooking oil and sugar.
The memorandum urges local chief executives to support the implementation of the law by encouraging the sale and consumption of vitamin-enriched foods in canteens operated by the local government units, school systems, day care centers and markets as well as those distributed during the disaster relief programs.
Likewise, the LGUs are urged to allocate funds to help carry out the program at the local level and closely coordinate with the Bureau of Food and Drugs (BFAR) in implementing the law.
Under the implementing rules and regulations of RA 8976, agencies mandated to implement the law like LGUs should allocate part of their budget for the Food Fortification Program.
"We encourage our local chief executives to closely cooperate with the Department of Health in implementing the Food Fortification program, which will help address the increasing problem of micronutrient in the country,” said Interior and Local Government Secretary Rolando Puno in a press report.
He further urged local chief executives to assist in monitoring foodstuff mandated to be fortified in public markets, store and food service establishments as part of their tasks under the law.
The administration believes that strong leadership, good governance and political will to fight poverty as well as corruption at close range will continue to open the floodgates of economic confidence on the Philippines.
Meanwhile, data obtained from DILG showed that the result of the survey conducted by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute revealed that the Filipino diet is still inadequate in vitamins and minerals such as iron, Vitamin A, thiamine, riboflavin and iodine and lacks Vitamin C, calcium and folate.
Statistics also showed that preschool children below 6 years old and mothers of reproductive health are the hardest hit of micronutrient malnutrition, or what is often referred to as hidden hunger. This type of malnutrition refers to micronutrient deficiency particularly the lack of vitamin A, iron and iodine. (PIA)