IN a bid to address malnutrition in the country, the Office of the Vice-President launched three Kalusugan food trucks in Davao City on Monday, September 26, 2022.
“For now we are yet to identify the areas, one for Luzon, one for the Visayas, and one for Mindanao. We will be having a meeting with the National Nutrition Council (NNC) next week,” Lemuel Ortonio, Assistant Chief of Staff of the Office of the Vice-President (OVP), said in an interview on September 26, 2022.
The Kalusugan Food truck is said to serve a specially designed menu for the children.
“This will serve as a mobile kitchen that will deliver warm, and nutritious meals to children suffering from malnutrition,” Ortonio said.
He said that the Kalusugan Food Truck will be deployed in schools as it will be implemented in collaboration with the Department of Education and the NNC of the Department of Health (DOH). It will be deployed for 120 days per area.
“The OVP will target schools and institutions across the country that have identified large numbers of malnutrition and undernourished children. In this way, we will be able to provide care, and basic nutrient requirements for vulnerable children to enable them to reach their potential and become healthy,” Ortonio said.
Meanwhile, Ortonio said that they also aim to serve poor developing areas that have been affected by natural calamities such as typhoons, floods, landslides, earthquakes, and even human-induced calamities like fire, armed conflict, and terror attacks.
“We hope for a future that sees no Filipino children suffering in hunger, a future where children are healthy, nourished, and eager to learn at school,” Ortonio said. KSD