Roxas City — Health officials in Capiz have been partnering with grocery and department stores in the province to help in the promotion of fortified products.

Provincial Heath Office Nutritionist/Dietician Ma. Divina Bigcas said that in line with the observance of the Food Fortification Day on November 7, some grocery and department stores in Roxas City and the municipalities have displayed and made available the various fortified products in a designated area for the public to easily access said products.

Bigcas said that information materials on the importance of fortified products, including the Sangkap Pinoy Seal, were also made available.

Advocacy to promote the use of fortified products and iodized salt are also continuously conducted during the Knock Out Tigdas drive, Bigcas said, adding that day care teachers and pupils are also encouraged to display empty packs and wrappers of fortified products to promote awareness among children and parents.

Aside from iodized salt, they are also promoting fortified products like noodles, chess, biscuits, cooking oil, catsup, milk, margarine and other products that are usually eaten by children and ordinary households in order to fight micro-nutrient deficiency and malnutrition.

Recently, a noodle company is eyeing malunggay for the biofortification of noodles as part of its commitment to support the program to fight malnutrition which is prevalent in the countryside, said the Biotechnology Program Office (BPO) of the Department of Agriculture (DA).

Because of the high nutritional value of malunggay, it can be used in fortifying sauces, juices, milk, and bread.

Fortification of food is just one of the many marketing potentials of malunggay that the private sector could tap and adopt, given the fact that DA is strategically positioning itself to boost its commercial production.

Biofortification of food crops is one of the most promising new tools of science today to fight malnutrition and save lives.

Said approach is a new paradigm in the field of agriculture, the results of which focus on providing better food to poor people and not just providing them with bulk, DA said.

Meanwhile, Bigcas said that they have been promoting backyard gardening among households as a strategy to fight hunger and malnutrition.