The National Federation of Dairy Farmers and Stakeholders’ Association (Dairy NatFed) is urging the Department of Education (DepEd) to extend its school-based milk feeding program from 55 days to at least 120 days, citing the program’s role in improving children’s nutrition and supporting local dairy farmers.
Danilo Fausto, president of Dairy NatFed, emphasized that extending the milk distribution would align with recommendations from the National Nutrition Council (NNC), which advocates for a feeding duration of 90 to 120 days to achieve significant nutritional improvements. The NNC has pointed out that consistent milk provision is vital to addressing malnutrition, particularly in public school children.
At present, DepEd provides hot meals for 120 days but only includes milk for 55 days. Fausto argues that since the feeding program already supports meals for the full school year, milk should not be excluded. He also noted that the Department of Agriculture’s Philippine Dairy Industry Roadmap 2020-2025 highlighted expanding the milk feeding program as a key measure to support local dairy farmers and reduce childhood malnutrition.
Dairy NatFed has raised concerns over the sustainability of the current school milk feeding program, which has suffered from inconsistent funding and limited reach. Last year, DepEd extended its hot meal program to 220 days, demonstrating the potential for longer-duration support for children.
With a budget of P11.776 billion for the School-Based Feeding Program (SBFP) this year, Dairy NatFed is calling for a more substantial allocation for the milk component. Under the Masustansyang Pagkain para sa Batang Pilipino Act, the law mandates that DepEd provide at least one fortified meal to undernourished students for no less than 120 days, including fresh milk or milk-based products.
Fausto’s proposal aims not only to address nutritional gaps but also to provide a reliable market for the country’s dairy farmers, whose livelihoods are heavily dependent on consistent demand for local milk.
