Nutritious complementary foods available soon in Ifugao

The Department of Science and Technology – Food and Nutrition Research Institute’s (DOST-FNRI) rice-mongo complementary foods will be produced soon by the Ifugao State University (IFSU) as part of the DOST-FNRI’s Malnutrition Reduction Program (MRP). 

The MRP is an integrated intervention strategy involving nutrition education and 

technology transfer of DOST-FNRI complementary food technologies to help address 

malnutrition among six (6) months up to two (2) years old infants and young children age.

Through the MRP’s Project 1: Roll-out of Complementary Food Processing Facility (Batch 3), qualified beneficiaries received production equipment and, license to produce and commercialize DOST-FNRI complementary food blends and snack foods in their communities. 

These complementary food blends and snack foods are the rice-mongo instant blend 

and curls which provide energy and nutrients for infants and young children. 

The IFSU is one of the eight (8) new beneficiaries of the MRP. 

Other provincial beneficiaries include Romblon, Catanduanes, Zamboanga del Norte, Sarangani, Lanao del Norte, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi. 

These eight (8) geographically-isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDAs) are also the 

priority areas identified in the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition (PPAN) for 2017-2022

Aside from the establishment of CFPFs, the Package for the Improvement of Nutrition of Young Children (or the DOST-PINOY) will also be implemented in these areas.

The DOST-PINOY provides nutrition education among Barangay Health Workers 

(BHWs) and Barangay Nutrition Scholars (BNSs) on basic nutrition, exclusive and 

continued breastfeeding, complementary feeding, meal planning, safe food handling 

and preparation, and backyard vegetable gardening.

This project is in collaboration with the DOST Cordillera Administrative Region (DOST-

CAR), the DOST Provincial S&T Center – Ifugao, and the Ifugao State University. 

The establishment of these CFPFs and the conduct of the DOST-PINOY in priority 

areas are only some of the DOST-FNRI’s science-based intervention programs in 

combating malnutrition that plague children and other population groups, not only in GIDAs, but all over the country.