P64 food spending threshold not enough

The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) on Thursday revealed that the threshold not to be regarded as "food poor" was not enough to satisfy dietary or nutritional needs in a day.

This comes during the 2023 full-year poverty statistics briefing after the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) pointed out in a Senate hearing that the monthly food threshold for a family of five is P9,581 or about P64 per person per day.

Food threshold is the minimum income needed for a family or person to satisfy the basic food demands, "which satisfies the nutritional requirements for economically necessary and socially desirable physical activities."

PSA National Statistician Claire Dennis Mapa clarified that the P64 criterion for a family of five was developed to reflect the usual dietary items that demand particular nutrients needed by Filipinos.

The P9,581 monthly food criterion was split among its members and roughly calculated daily count of days in a month, arriving at the P64 per person-a-day figure.

"When we set food thresholds and poverty thresholds, we're establishing the minimum basic needs. That's the process, the least cost approach," Mapa said. "First, in this process, we need to create a menu. What are the typical foods that can provide energy, protein and calcium?"

Based on PSA's per capita food threshold data, the sample meal bundle could supply 100 percent energy, 123 percent protein, 119 percent calcium, 80 percent iron, 131 percent Vitamin A, 88 percent Thiamin, 80 percent Riboflavin, 249 percent niacin, and 106 percent Vitamin C.