50th Nutrition Month celebration kicks off today

CEBU, Philippines — With more cases of stunting among school children and low academic performance, officials have stressed on the importance of proper nutrition as one of the solutions.

This is the message that key government agencies want to stress as the country opens the 50th year celebration of Nutrition Month today, July 1, 2024.

Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Benhur Abalos is convinced that proper nutrition, especially among young schoolchildren, is the key that could help them perform better academically, and also to dramatically address the problem of stunting among them.

This as Abalos calls for full cooperation and collaboration of all nutrition advocates and stakeholders in implementing the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition (PPAN) for 2023-2028, the country s framework and roadmap to combat malnutrition.

In Cebu, the National Nutrition Council-7 will have its nutrition month regional launching at SM Seaside City wherein hundreds of participants from the academe, health organizations, and government and private sectors are expected to join the celebration.

With the theme,  Sa PPAN: Sama-sama sa Nutrisyong Sapat Para sa Lahat! , the celebration hopes to emphasize the different services under the PPAN and establish a branded activity for the annual campaign through various activities.

PPAN aims to reduce all forms of malnutrition across all life stages and include interventions that focus on healthier diets, better practices, and improved access to quality services.

A Holy Mass followed by a parade will kickstart the month-long observance of its golden jubilee.

This will be followed by a stickering campaign of Pinggang Pinoy among various food establishments; a Nutri Jingle Contest; and the launching program where different agencies and organizations will officially kickstart the various services according to different life stages like pregnancy, infancy, pre and school children, adolescence, adulthood and elderly.

Another highlight of the launching program is the  PPANalo  Service Caravan, where participants can get first-hand experience of these services from various regional government offices, non-government organizations and partners.

Dr. Parolita Mission, NNC-7 regional nutrition program coordinator, has earlier urged the public to join the regional launching activity and avail of the different free nutrition services and show their support to promoting proper nutrition.

Mission added that every individual has a valuable input in making sure that proper nutrition can be observed in every household which would impact the community as a whole.

Nutrition month is an annual campaign established in 1974 by Presidential Decree 491, also known as the Nutrition Act of the Philippines.

 As we celebrate Nutrition Month this July, it is the great time to focus on choosing foods wisely and creating a healthy eating routine. With the goal of ensuring nutrition security for all Filipinos, the noteworthy milestone necessitates collaborative work to execute the Philippine Plan of work for Nutrition (PAN) 2023-2028,  NNC-7 said.

As the region continues to celebrate the month-long observance, a comprehensive social media campaign will also feature the posting of streamers and mass delivery of the Nutrition Month pledge and prayer.

Additionally, the punong Barangay forum will engage local leaders in PPAN, while thematic seminars will provide in depth educational sessions on healthier diet and better nutrition practices. The campaign will also include airing of radio plugs, and appearances in various media outlets, and the innovative BNS Nutrition School online, all designed to spread awareness and promote better nutritional habits throughout the Central Visavas.

These initiatives include promoting the adoption of good nutrition habits, increasing access to high-quality nutrition services and enabling mechanisms, and enhancing the consumption of healthier foods, the PAN 2023-2028 seeks to promote nutrition throughout all life stages.

With it being the focus of this year s campaign, NNC-7 encourages all government agencies, non-government organizations, business and private sectors, academe, local government units, and the general public to be one of the spoons and support PPAN, as they promote  Nutrisyong sapat para sa lahat!    (CEBU NEWS)