Confronting a resurgence in child malnutrition that education officials warn threatens learning itself, the Department of Education (DepEd) on Wednesday expanded its School-Based Feeding Program (SBFP) to cover all Kindergarten and Grade 1 learners in public schools, a major shift from the program's previous focus on undernourished children alone.

The nationwide rollout comes as the latest survey by the Department of Science and Technology's Food and Nutrition Research Institute (DOST-FNRI) showed that stunting among Filipino children under five climbed to 25.3 percent, up from 23.6 percent in 2023—the first increase in the country's stunting rate in a decade.

The expanded program introduces universal feeding for the youngest learners while continuing targeted nutritional support for wasted and severely wasted pupils in Grades 2 to 6, reflecting what DepEd described as a broader effort to address hunger as a barrier to learning.

Launching the program at Pulilan Central School, Education Secretary Sonny Angara said the department could no longer treat school feeding as a stand-alone nutrition intervention.

"Every percentage point represents a Filipino child whose potential is being compromised. This expanded feeding program is our decisive commitment to reversing these numbers and ensuring that our learners have the foundation they need to thrive in the classroom and in life," Angara said.

The overhaul represents one of the most significant changes to the School-Based Feeding Program since the passage of Republic Act No. 11037, or the Masustansyang Pagkain para sa Batang Pilipino Act. 

Previously, the program primarily targeted undernourished learners. Under the revised scheme, every Kindergarten and Grade 1 pupil enrolled in public schools will receive meals, while older elementary learners identified as acutely malnourished will continue to receive nutritional assistance.

DepEd said simultaneous launch activities were held across the country's regions, signaling the nationwide implementation of the expanded program.

In a move aimed at ensuring its long-term sustainability, DepEd and the Department of Agriculture signed a Joint Administrative Order institutionalizing their partnership on the program's milk-feeding component. 

The agreement formalizes the roles of the National Dairy Authority and the Philippine Carabao Center in sourcing, procuring and delivering locally produced milk to participating schools.

Education officials have increasingly linked nutrition to the country's learning crisis, arguing that hunger undermines children's ability to attend school regularly, concentrate in class and acquire foundational literacy and numeracy skills. 

The launch also coincided with the observance of Nutrition Month. At Pulilan Central School, which has 775 beneficiaries under the expanded program, Angara distributed school bags and storybooks to Grade 1 learners while President Marcos joined the feeding activity with students.