DepEd to scale up school feeding in 2026 to fight child malnutrition

The Department of Education (DepEd) is set to deliver its most extensive school feeding rollout yet in 2026, after senators approved a significant budget increase aimed at accelerating the Marcos administration’s campaign against child malnutrition.

Under the Senate-approved budget, funding for the School-Based Feeding Program (SBFP) will rise to P28.66 billion, more than double its P11.78-billion allocation this year.

The boost enables DepEd to provide meals to 4.49 million learners, extend feeding to 200 school days, and widen nutrition support for vulnerable groups, including wasted and severely wasted adolescents and pregnant learners.

DepEd’s expanded program includes a 45-day feeding cycle for 604,134 junior high school and 200,663 senior high school learners identified as wasted or severely wasted, along with a 30-day intervention for 7,276 adolescent pregnant learners.

Education Secretary Sonny Angara said lawmakers’ support underscores the growing recognition that nutrition directly affects students’ capacity to learn.

“Kita namin sa mga bata at sa mga kwento ng ating mga guro na mas gising, mas masigla, mas handang makinig ang mga mag-aaral basta may laman ang kanilang tiyan. Iyan ang pinaka-pruweba na gumagana ang programa,” Angara said.

(We see in the students and in the stories of teachers that children are more alert, energetic, and ready to learn when they are not hungry. That is the clearest proof that the program works.)

“May datos at may kwento. Nakita ito ng Pangulo at nagkaisa ang Senado at Kamara. Kapag nakikita mong bumababa ang bilang ng severely wasted, alam mong tama ang direksyon,” he added.

(There is data, and there are stories. The President saw this, and both chambers of Congress agreed. When severely wasted numbers go down, you know you are on the right track.)

DepEd began shifting toward universal early nutrition this school year by providing meals to all Kindergarten and Grade 1 learners, while maintaining targeted support for severely wasted and wasted pupils from Grades 2 to 6. Field data showed a notable drop in severely wasted Kindergarten children — from 113,451 to 47,281 in a year — supporting the agency’s push for a broader feeding approach.

The department has also strengthened its nutrition infrastructure nationwide, with 74 central kitchens operating and more than 44,000 schools expanding their Gulayan sa Paaralan gardens to supply fresh produce for daily meals.

For 2026, DepEd secured funds to scale this up further, budgeting for 219 central kitchens, mobile kitchen units, and expanded partnerships with local governments that will directly implement feeding programs in their communities.

Angara said the expanded budget allows DepEd to pursue a balanced strategy of universal and targeted feeding.

“Pinapalakas natin ang pundasyon sa Kinder at Grade 1, pero hindi rin natin iniiwan ang pinaka-nanganganib sa mas matataas na baitang,” Angara said.

(We are strengthening the foundation in Kindergarten and Grade 1, but we are also not leaving behind the most vulnerable learners in higher grade levels.)

“Kung gusto nating manatili ang mga bata sa eskwela, kailangan nating siguraduhin na may laman ang tiyan at lakas ang katawan.”

(If we want children to stay in school, we must ensure they have food in their stomachs and strength in their bodies.) —VAL, GMA Integrated News