DepEd expands feeding program for 3.4 million learners

The Department of Education (DepEd) has launched an expanded School-Based Feeding Program (SBFP) for all public kindergarten learners nationwide to combat early childhood malnutrition and learning gaps.

The program, which provides hot meals and fortified food products, will run for 120 days, double the previous 60-day implementation.

Around 3.4 million kindergarten pupils and "severely wasted" and "wasted" Grade 1 to 6 students will receive meals.

Education Secretary Sonny Angara emphasized that adequate nutrition leads to easier learning and that the initiative is an investment in lifelong health, productivity, and equity.

The Marcos administration has allocated P11.77 billion for the program in 2025, with a proposed P14 billion for 2026.

The number of severely wasted kindergarten children has dropped by more than half since last school year, from 113,451 to 47,281.