The Department of Education’s (DepEd) School-Based Feeding Program (SBFP) will be expanded 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, enabling more comprehensive coverage across the early grades and nutritionally at-risk learners at 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, Department of Social Welfare and Development, and the Department of the Interior and Local Government, integrating maternal and child health support.

Hunger, malnutrition addressed

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

In providing meals and other learner needs, DepEd said it will prioritize locally produced food and refreshments, including Philippine-made products, in line with the Tatak Pinoy Act (Republic Act 11981), supporting local producers while ensuring fresh, culturally appropriate food for learners.

Meanwhile, the National Dairy Authority and the Philippine Carabao Center will handle the 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.