Filipino children, adults drink little milk

About seventy-five percent of six-year old children of Jala-jala, Rizal are more alert and active in classes when given two-thirds to one cup of fresh milk supplement over six months, a study conducted by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute of the Department of Science and Technology said. Milk is growing popular among Filipino children.  But Filipinos consume only 44 grams or roughly 3 tablespoons per capita of milk per day.  Milk constitutes only 5.5% of total weight of a typical daily Filipino diet, data taken from the Philippine Nutrition Facts and Figures showed. 

Milk is an important dietary source of calcium, contains highly absorbable calcium and complements a rice-vegetable-based diet. It is also a good source of protein, vitamins A and B, the Nutritional Guidelines for Filipinos established.

Due to persistent protein-energy malnutrition among preschool children and increasing risk to osteoporosis among adults, NGF proposes and encourages daily consumption of milk, milk products or other calcium-rich foods such as small fish and dark green leafy vegetables. 

The good news is that the Department of Agriculture's National Dairy Authority extends milk feeding activities in barangays all over the country in collaboration with the local government units and private institutions.  

The National Milk Feeding Program provides dairy farmer-cooperative members a steady source of income at the same time packages the commodity for milk feeding to 2-6 year old and Grade 1 malnourished children. Since its inception in 1995, the program benefited some 239,331 children. 

In the first National Milk Feeding Conference last October 2003 where key players in the program shared experiences in implementing NMFP, the Inter-agency milk feeding committee composed of NDA and the Department of Education's National Nutrition Center, Department of Health's Bureau of Food and Drugs, and Department of Social Welfare Welfare and Development's Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services Unit passed a 10-point resolution in support of milk feeding programs  It set the tone for the advocacy and institutionalization of the milk feeding program.  

Meanwhile, three Senate Bills (Nos. 1498, 1337, 2242) and two House Bills (Nos. 1403 and 5666) in support of milk feeding are awaiting deliberations.