The Department of Education (DepEd) on Thursday said it will expand its School-Based Feeding Program (SBFP) this year, targeting around 4.6 million learners nationwide to address malnutrition and improve school participation.

DepEd has secured P25.7 billion for the expanded program, allowing wider coverage across early grades and nutritionally at-risk learners in higher levels.

Under the expanded program, the agency will provide nutritious meals to about 1.52 million kindergarten learners and 1.79 million Grade 1 learners for 200 feeding days. An additional 1.18 million learners in Grades 2 to 6 who are classified as wasted or severely wasted will also receive meals for the same duration.

For the first time, the program will also cover around 140,000 nutritionally at-risk, disadvantaged, and vulnerable learners beyond Grade 6, including pregnant learners enrolled in public schools, who will receive nutritional support for 180 feeding days.

This component of the program will be implemented in coordination with the Department of Health, the Department of Social Welfare and Development, and the Department of the Interior and Local Government, integrating maternal and child health support.

DepEd said the expanded coverage reflects the government’s renewed focus on improving learning readiness by addressing hunger and malnutrition, which continue to affect school attendance, participation, and overall academic performance, particularly among learners from disadvantaged communities.

To improve program targeting and implementation, DepEd will roll out the System for Intelligent Growth and Learner Anthropometry, an artificial intelligence-enabled platform designed to streamline the collection and validation of learners’ health and nutrition data.

DepEd also said local government units may serve as implementing partners through memoranda of agreement, with the agency encouraging on-the-ground collaboration in program delivery.

In providing meals and other learner needs, DepEd said preference and priority will be given to locally produced food and refreshments, or Philippine-made products, in line with the Tatak Pinoy Act (Republic Act No. 11981), supporting local producers while ensuring fresh and culturally appropriate food for learners.

Meanwhile, the National Dairy Authority and the Philippine Carabao Center will handle milk feeding, supporting both learner nutrition and the local dairy industry.

DepEd said the expanded program underscores the administration’s commitment to making schools not only centers of learning but also safe and supportive spaces where learners’ basic needs are addressed.