By Kenneth Marcos 
Inside public school classrooms, many children arrive early, carrying not just notebooks but also empty stomachs. For some learners, a simple meal at school makes the difference between focusing on lessons and struggling through the day. This reality is pushing the government to expand efforts to fight hunger and malnutrition among students.
The Department of Education (DepEd) is set to expand its School-Based Feeding Program to cover 4.6 million learners in 2026, a major increase aimed at improving nutrition, learning readiness, and overall health of public school children nationwide. The move responds to persistent concerns about undernutrition, which continues to affect school performance and attendance, especially in low-income communities.
Under the expanded program, meals will be provided to undernourished and at-risk learners in public elementary schools and child development centers. DepEd said the initiative is designed not only to address hunger but also to help students gain weight, improve immunity, and become more attentive in class.
Milk will remain a key part of the feeding program. Nutrition experts have long emphasized the role of milk in child development, as it provides essential nutrients such as calcium, protein, and vitamins needed for bone growth and brain development. Regular milk intake has also been linked to better school participation and improved physical growth among children.
The National Dairy Authority (NDA) will continue to play a central role by ensuring the supply of safe, nutritious, and locally produced milk for the program. By sourcing milk from Filipino dairy farmers, the initiative supports both child nutrition and local agriculture.
Officials said this approach creates a “win-win” situation. Schoolchildren receive fresh and healthy milk, while local dairy farmers gain a stable market for their produce. This helps strengthen the local dairy industry, increase farm incomes, and reduce dependence on imported milk products.
The school-based feeding program is part of the government’s broader effort to address malnutrition, which remains a serious issue in the Philippines. National data in recent years have shown that many children suffer from stunting, wasting, or underweight conditions, often linked to poverty and food insecurity. These conditions can affect learning ability and long-term health.
DepEd stressed that feeding programs are most effective when combined with other interventions. These include nutrition education, health checks, deworming, and improved access to clean water and sanitation in schools. Teachers and school staff are also trained to monitor learners’ progress and ensure that meals are prepared and served safely.
Parents, especially from low-income households, have welcomed the expansion. For many families, school meals help ease daily food expenses while giving children a better chance to succeed in school. In farming and rural communities, the program also links education with agriculture by using local food sources.
The NDA said supporting local milk production is crucial for long-term food security. By encouraging demand for locally produced milk, the government helps farmers invest in better livestock, improve milk quality, and sustain their livelihoods.
As the feeding program grows in scale, DepEd said it will continue working with partner agencies, local governments, and schools to ensure proper implementation. Transparency, food safety, and nutritional standards remain priorities as millions more learners are brought into the program.
The expansion of the School-Based Feeding Program in 2026 signals a strong commitment to investing in children’s health and education. By addressing hunger inside classrooms, the government hopes to give every learner a fair chance to grow, learn, and build a better future.
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