PALO, Leyte – Regional Nutrition Program Coordinator, Dr. Catalino P. Dotollo, Jr. speaks on 2022 Nutrition Month theme at the National Food Authority (NFA) on July 23, 2022.

Heeding to the invitation of NFA official to be the guest speaker during their 2022 NM culmination activity, Dr. Dotollo shared this year’s theme to the regional and provincial NFA officials and employees. It was also the agency’s effort to gender mainstreaming and eliminate gender discrimination in the field of nutrition.

Dr. Dotollo emphasized the role of the agency in uplifting the nutritional status of the vulnerable population through rice fortification particularly that of iron. According to him fortification of NFA rice with iron will reduce if not eliminate iron deficiency anemia among the vulnerable population: the pregnant and lactating women, children, teenage girls, and the elderly.

He invited the NFA leadership to be part of the Regional Technical Working Group for nutrition so they can help improved the malnutrition status of the region.

He stressed to the audience the call of the NFA Regional Director Jasmin C. Lintag to go back to the basic as and for solidarity in nutrition actions as the country shifts from COVID 19 pandemic to endemic mode.

By going to “basics” would mean planting fruits and vegetables in the backyard and make it food on top of the table. Likewise, doing physical activity or the advocacy of the Department of Health on “galaw galaw para si pumanaw.”

Dotollo also encourage the agency to re-design and scale up plans for nutrition resiliency their work plans. One action is to push for the iron fortification of the NFA rice.

He also challenged the NFA leadership to issue regional memorandum for “a 4 o’ clock habit” at least 2-3 times a week by doing physical activity and planting vegetables in their wide vicinity.

Towards the end of the talk Dr. Dotollo asked the agency to make activities year-round related to the theme such as cooking contest in the workplace, menu planning where they can invite NNC 8 nutritionist-dietitian to guide theme, highlight the use of Pinggang Pinoy as also as guide in their family’s day to day eating habits, webinars and fora on food production and similar other activities.

He ended the activity by distributing Pinggang Pinoy leaflets and recipe books.

For her part during the open forum, RD Jasmin C. Lintag responded to Dr. Dotollo that their agency will be supplying DSWD 4Ps beneficiaries NFA rice and that of DepEd’s feeding program. She also informed the RNPC that NFA is pushing the iron fortification of their NFA rice.

Ending the 3-hour activity, Assistant Regional Director Margallo thanked Dr. Dotollo of the informative sharing on the nutrition theme and nutrition in general. He vowed that their office would heed to the NNC’s call for solidarity of Action and scale up nutrition actions in their work plans. #RNPC-CPD