16/03/2025
2025 Nutrition Month Highlights Food and Nutrition Security as Human Right
The National Nutrition Council (NNC) reinforces its commitment in advancing nutrition improvement across the country through the annual conduct of the Nutrition Month campaign. Starting this year, Nutrition Month campaigns will carry the overarching theme "Sa PPAN: Sama-sama sa Nutrisyong Sapat Para sa Lahat!" for continuous advocacy in implementing the PPAN 2023-2028. A subtheme will be identified to highlight a key pillar of the PPAN, thus, for this yearโs subtheme is "Food at Nutrition Security, Maging Priority! Sapat na Pagkain, Karapatan Natin!". With the approval of the NNC Technical Committee, the subtheme puts a spotlight on the importance of healthy diets as a pillar of nutrition security and emphasize that access to nutritious food is a fundamental human right and should be prioritized in national and local development agendas. By strengthening food and nutrition security initiatives, the campaign supports the PPANโs goal of reducing all forms of malnutrition and hunger rates in the coming years. The Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2023-2028 also identified food and nutrition security as a national priority, emphasizing the need for policies and programs that address hunger and promote sustainable food systems.
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) 2024 report revealed that about 51 million Filipinos experienced moderate or severe food insecurity between 2021 and 2023. This was also reflected in the Social Weather Stations survey in December 2024, where it is reported that 25.9% of Filipino families experienced involuntary hunger. The result of the 2023 Expanded National Nutrition Survey further affirmed the need for action to address food insecurity; 31.1% of Filipinos are considered moderately to severely food insecure, while 2.7% are considered severely food insecure. Factors such as poverty, limited agricultural productivity, and climate change significantly contribute to food shortages and malnutrition.
For the Nutrition Month campaign to reach as many audiences as possible, partners are encouraged to use the SAPAT strategies:
Strengthen policies and programs for food and nutrition security to address food affordability, availability, and accessibility challenges.
Amplify public awareness and support for food and nutrition security through information drives, media campaigns, nutrition education, and community forums.
Practice and promote sustainable and climate-resilient food systems for long-term food security.
Activate and sustain multi-sectoral partnerships to address food and nutrition security challenges effectively.
Transform food systems.
By implementing the SAPAT strategy, the 51st Nutrition Month campaign will pave the way to building a healthier, more resilient society where access to adequate and nutritious food is not just an aspiration but a guaranteed right for all.
