Description

The National Dietary Supplementation Program is one of the nutrition-specific programs identified in the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition (PPAN) that aims to improve the nutritional status of the most vulnerable groups of the population. To support its implementation, the National Nutrition Council (NNC) conceptualized the Dietary Supplementation in the First 1000 Days initiative to help in the reduction of child stunting and wasting. The program is dubbed as “Tutok Kainan” to underscore the need to closely monitor the nutrition of the target beneficiary during the crucial period of the First 1000 Days to prevent low birth weight and stunting. The program targets the 34 PPAN priority provinces and other select priority areas with high prevalence of nutritionally at-risk pregnant women and undernourished children 6-23 months old.

The program also operationalizes Republic Act No. 11148, also known as “Kalusugan at Nutrisyon ng Mag-Nanay Act”, which institutionalizes nutrition interventions in the First 1,000 Days of Life. Since the enactment of the law in 2018, no single agency has taken on the primary responsibility of delivering direct maternal and childhood nutrition services, specifically dietary supplementation for pregnant women and young children under 2 years old. Thus, the NNC Secretariat, through its mandate as provided by Executive Order 472 signed in 2005 which states that the National Nutrition Council Executive Director shall undertake the steps necessary to ensure realignment of its operations to focus on client-based operations and prioritize addressing hunger and malnutrition and formulate the operational guidelines of its Executive Order (Sec. 3), focused on dietary supplementation for pregnant women and young children aged 6-23 months through the Tutok Kainan DSP. This addressed one of the key interventions outlined in the law.

Objectives

A. General

To contribute to the prevention of stunting among children under-two years old and to the prevention of low-birth-weight infants by improving both the quality and quantity of food and nutrient intakes and utilization of related ECCD-F1KD services among nutritionally at-risk (NAR) pregnant women and children 6-23 months old in the target Tutok Kainan program areas.

B. Specific

• Identify nutritionally at-risk pregnant women and undernourished children 6-23 months old in target priority areas; 
• Provide supplemental food to pregnant women for 90 calendar days and complementary food for children 6-23 months for 180 calendar days. Priority will be given to those who are nutritionally at risk or undernourished to avert the impact of COVID-19, recent natural disasters, and to continue even after the COVID-19 pandemic;
• Assess the nutritional status of the beneficiaries at baseline and endline of the program;
• Advocate for complementary early childhood care and development services in the first 1000 days pursuant to Republic Act 11148 or the Kalusugan at Nutrisyon ng Mag-Nanay Act; and
• Document program experiences and strategies for replication in other local government units of the country.

Program Components

2025 Tutok Kainan Program Implementation Review at Smallville 21 Hotel in Iloilo City on 11 to 14 March 2025

Launching of 2024 Tutok Kainan in Kolambugan, Lanao del Norte