49th Nutrition Month Celebration Focuses on Food Affordability

The National Nutrition Council Region 7 (NNC 7) held a press conference for this year’s preparations for the nutrition month celebration at the Diamond Suites and Residences in Cebu City on June 22, 2023.

The press conference focused on the preparations and the goals of this year’s 49th Nutrition Month Celebration in the region and was attended by their partner agencies, including the Department of Agriculture 7 (DA 7), Department of Health 7 (DOH 7), and Cebu City Nutrition Committee.

NNC VII Regional Nutrition Program Coordinator Dr. Parolita A. Mission, RN, talked about the theme of this year’s nutrition month celebration “HEALTHY DIET gawing affordable FOR ALL!”.

“This Nutrition Month celebration focuses on food affordability. There is a need for food to be affordable because food is essential for our survival. However, most of the people, especially in low-income families, have a difficult time to afford healthy food, as well as food access and food security,” Mission said.

Mission also said that the four pillars of a healthy diet, namely food availability, accessibility, affordability, and safety, should be present in the community to achieve healthy eating and a healthy diet not only for sustenance but also for the well-being of an individual.

Different government agencies work hand-in-hand to achieve food affordability in the region.

One of the programs being launched to promote food affordability is the Kadawi Stores or the Kadiwa ng Pangulo program, which is operated by the Department of Agriculture (DA) to ensure that the community has access to affordable healthy foods.

“Kadiwa is an old program way back to the late-President Ferdinand Marcos Sr.’s administration. It was revived by the previous secretary and was pushed through by the present administration and became ‘Kadiwa ng Pangulo’. Wherein all harvests of the farmer could be accessed directly by consumers,” said Cheryl M. Dela Victoria, DA RFO VII Information Chief.

Ligaya I. Moneva, HEPO III of the Department of Health 7 (DOH 7) said that the department fully supports the programs of the NNC 7.

“As the nation’s leader in health, it is also our commitment to also guarantee equitable and affordable situations that pertain to diet,” Moneva said. “One’s action compliments the other because we are all in this together,” Moneva added.

The Cebu City Nutrition Committee also creates programs to make food available for its residents. One of the programs is the community urban garden which the city provides training, seminars, and demonstrations on proper urban gardening.

Nutrition Month is a month-long celebration every July of the year in which programs and activities are themed around nutrition and healthy eating habits. (ASC)