To protect Filipino children from malnutrition, the Department of Social Welfare and Development shall provide milk to toddlers under five years old who are enrolled in Child Development Center (CDCs) and Supervised Neighborhood Play (SNP) groups under its Milk Feeding Program.

In coordination with the Department of Agriculture (DA), National Dairy Authority (NDA), and the Philippine Carabao Center (PCC), the Milk Feeding Program shall be piloted on May 5, 2021 in Cagayan de Oro City with 2,891 child beneficiaries, and in Iligan City with 1,914 child beneficiaries.

Despite the decreasing trend of undernutrition and wasting among Filipino children under five years old, stunting is still persistent among them while overweight and obesity among this age group remains a rising threat.

Referred to by the Department of Science and Technology Food and Nutrition Research Institute (DOST-FNRI) as the “Triple Burden of Malnutrition,” this health problem among toddlers pushed the government to create strategic initiatives to address the malnutrition in this particular age group.

The milk supplementation to the child beneficiaries in CDCs and SNPs will be in addition to their regular meals under the DSWD’s Supplementary Feeding Program. Further, the Milk Feeding Program is also a support to the local dairy industry that will contribute to the sustainable economic activities of the local farmers. ###cpt