By Liza Soriano
MANILA — Senator Grace Poe on Friday (10 November 2023) told relevant agencies to safely handle the milk supply used in government feeding programs to prevent spoilage.
“Pag-ingatan natin ang handling at delivery dahil madaling mapanis ang gatas,” Poe said during the budget deliberation of the Department of Education (DepEd).
“Milk can fill up the stomachs of our children. If they regularly drink milk, they no longer need many supplements. We have to make sure they get only the fresh packs,” she added.
Poe is the primary author of Masustansyang Pagkain Para sa Batang Pilipino Act, Republic Act 11037, which establishes the school-based feeding program (SBFP) for malnourished students in kindergarten through Grade 6.
Throughout the school year, the children receive micronutrient dosages in the form of pills, capsules, syrups, deworming tablets, and at least one fortified meal.
For 2024, a budget of P11 billion has been proposed for the continued rollout of the program.
Poe said that 87.4 percent of the milk needs of the kids for the SBFP were procured from local sources in 2023, while the rest were sourced commercially.
“I hope the local sourcing will increase, if possible, to 100 percent so our farmers will not have to worry about finding a source where they can sell their milk,” the senator said.
(ai/mnm)