The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has assured that food items included in its family food packs (FFPs) and ready-to-eat food (RTEF) boxes comply with the nutritional requirements for internally displaced persons (IDPs) affected by disasters.
The DSWD made the statement amid its preparations for the impact of Typhoon Tino in Visayas and Mindanao, such as the prepositioning of 2.1 million FFPs in strategically-located warehouses.
Earlier, the DSWD said there are 128,000 family food packs ready for distribution in Region VIII (Eastern Visayas); about 89,000 food packs in Region VI (Western Visayas); and more than 81,000 food packs in the CARAGA region for those who might be affected by Tino’s onslaught.
“Na-mimeet naman po niyan [FFPs at RTEF] yung nutritional requirements ng ating mga internally displaced persons (IDPs),” said DSWD spokesperson and Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao on Monday.
(It meets the nutritional requirements of our internal displaced persons.)
Dumlao of the DSWD’s Disaster Response Management Group (DRMG) said the food packs were developed in collaboration with the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI), an attached agency of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).
This ensures that the food items meet the energy requirements of displaced residents and comply with the nutritional standards set by the National Nutrition Council (NNC).
“Ang nilalaman po ng ating FFPs, ‘yung brown na box ay six kilograms na rice. Meron din po iyang 10 assorted na tin cans. Sa sampu na iyan, apat niyan ay tuna flakes in oil, ang apat po ay corned beef at dalawa lamang ang sardinas. Gayundin po ay may limang sachets ng instant coffee at lima ang choco malt,” Dumlao said.
(The FFPs, the brown box, contains six kilograms of rice. It also has 10 assorted tin cans. Of that 10, four are tuna flakes in oil, four are corned beef, and only two are sardines. It also has five sachets of instant coffee and five choco malt sachets.)
Each FFP is designed to feed a family of five for two to three days.
To complement the FFPs, the DSWD also distributes RTEF boxes consisting of Halal-certified meals intended for evacuees or stranded passengers at ports.
An RTEF box contains five cans of tuna paella, one can of chicken pastil, one can of giniling, two packs of arroz caldo, three packs of champorado, two protein biscuits, and one infant food item. The RTEF box does not contain any noodles.
In addition, the DSWD also provides hot meals to locals affected by disasters through its mobile kitchen, Dumlao said.
“Meron din po tayo yung mga hot meals, prepared and served through our mobile kitchens to complement the food boxes that we provide our internally displaced persons,” she said.
(We also have hot meals, prepared and served through our mobile kitchens to complement the food boxes that we provide our internally displaced persons.) — JMA, GMA Integrated News
