By Tara Yap
ILOILO CITY - Malnourished young children in Hamtic, Antique, were the first to receive ready-to-cook nutritious meals developed by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).
DOST-FNRI Logo
Specifically, toddlers and children were given as the ready-to-cook rice and mongo combo as well polvoron. These were specifically developed by DOST’s Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI).
DOST-6 Regional Director Rowen Gelonga said that Antique still has the highest malnutrition rate in Western Visayas region.
Based on the 2016 data of the National Nutrition Council (NNC), Antique has a 6.86 percent prevalence of under nutrition.
On the other hand, DOST’s FNRI found in a 2013 survey that prevalence rate in Antique province is much higher for children until 60 months old. For instance, there was a 29.2 percent rate for underweight, 38.7 percent for under height, and 9.2 percent for wasting.
To curb the incidence rate, DOST-6 has implemented the complementary feeding under its Community Empowerment Through Science and Technology (CEST) Program. It is in partnership with the University of Antique, the Antique Provincial Government and Senator Loren Legarda.