Manila: The Department of Education (DepEd) and nutrition company Abbott have launched a school-based nutrition program that will initially cover 100 schools in Metro Manila. In an effort to tackle the growing issue of child stunting, the initiative aims to enhance nutrition screening and promote awareness within educational institutions and their surrounding communities.
According to Philippines News Agency, Education Secretary Sonny Angara spearheaded the launch of the Nutrition and Growth Champions Program. This initiative comes in response to new government data revealing that one in four Filipino children under the age of five is stunted. The 2025 Updating Survey conducted by the Department of Science and Technology-Food and Nutrition Research Institute indicates that 25.3 percent of Filipino children in this age group are affected by stunting, marking the first increase in prevalence since 2015.
Stunting is recognized by health experts as having long-term impacts on a child's physical growth, cognitive development, and overall health. The DepEd has stated that the new program will complement its existing nationwide school feeding initiatives by focusing on the early detection of nutrition issues and implementing community-based interventions.
Education Secretary Angara emphasized the importance of collaboration, stating, "As we strengthen school feeding and nutrition programs across the country, partnerships like this help equip our schools with the tools and knowledge to identify nutrition concerns early and connect children to timely support."
During the pilot phase, the initiative will conduct nutrition screenings for over 70,000 children across 100 public schools in Metro Manila. More than 130 teachers and school health personnel will receive training as "Growth Champions" to perform growth screenings twice a year, identify children at risk of malnutrition, and refer them for appropriate care.
Abbott Philippines General Manager for Nutrition, Angelico Escobar, highlighted the synergy between Abbott's nutrition expertise and DepEd's commitment to improving child health through early detection and increased nutrition awareness. This program is part of the Abbott Center for Malnutrition Solutions, which collaborates with governments and health organizations worldwide to combat malnutrition. Since 2023, the center has trained over 450 health workers in 16 countries and supported the screening of more than 118,000 children, as reported by Abbott.
