Century Pacific Food, Inc. (PSE:CNPF), one of the leading food and beverage manufacturing companies in the Philippines, together with Gawad Kalinga (GK), spearheaded the National Zero Hunger Summit, a gathering of multiple stakeholders aiming to spur action and chart a path towards a zero hunger Philippines. The event was attended by the largest assembly of Zero Hunger Champions to date: comprising of students, teachers, civil society organization representatives, and employees from both private and government sectors.
The inception of the Zero Hunger Alliance took shape in 2020 through the joint efforts of CNPF’s RSPO Foundation, GK, and the Ateneo Center for Educational Development (ACED). The collaboration between these organizations recognizes the imperative for a more robust and united response from the private sector to address the pressing hunger situation in the nation, with the goal of amplifying the endeavors of individual groups dedicated to enhancing food security and nutrition.
According to the World Food Programme (WFP), 33.4% of Filipino households experience moderate to severe food insecurity. Furthermore, the country ranks 5th in the East Asia and Pacific Region for the highest prevalence of stunting among children under 5 years old. Meanwhile, the latest Social Weather Survey (SWS) statistics on involuntary hunger indicated a rate of almost 10%, affecting 2.7 million Filipino families in first quarter of 2023.
Kamille Corpuz, Program Director of the RSPo Foundation stated, “Given the severity of the hunger situation in the Philippines, there is an impetus for all of us to find sustainable solutions. We hope to leverage the reach of the National Zero Hunger Alliance Summit in disseminating exemplary practices to a broader audience, particularly prioritizing communities in most need of transformative interventions.”
Among the new members of this growing program include: Negrense Volunteers for Change (NVC Foundation), Scholars of Sustenance (SOS), Unilever, Unilab Foundation, QC Task Force on Food Security, and the East West Seed Foundation.
“By cultivating a spirit of collaboration among a diverse range of stakeholders, the Zero Hunger Alliance envisions the alignment of strategies, identification of intersecting capabilities, and effective and efficient implementation of anti-hunger interventions.” adds Corpuz.
The National Zero Hunger Summit delved into various anti-hunger initiatives and programs, all structured around the Zero Hunger Alliance’s comprehensive 5M Framework – Magpakain, Magpakalusog, Magtanim, Magtulungan at Magkonek.
ACED, NVC Foundation, and SOS steered conversations toward the Magpakain pillar, highlighting efforts that included inspirations for Gawad Kalinga’s “Kusina ng Kalinga” community-based feeding program, nutrient meal packs and feeding protocols, as well as discussions on food waste prevention through SOS’ food rescue framework.
Unilever and Unilab Foundation weighed in on the “Magpakalusog” pillar with emphasis on nutrition education efforts for mothers and the latter’s capacity building workshop on container gardening.
Best care practices were the focus of the “Magtanim” segment, of which the QC Task Force on Food Security and the East West Seed Foundation shared their community garden programs in the city and rural settings, respectively.
To wrap up on the “Magtulungan and Magkonek” pillars, co-founders of the alliance, CNPF Executive Chairman Chris Po, President and CEO Ted Po, and Father Ben Nebres of the Ateneo, encouraged the coalition work together and find ways to spread the urgency and solutions towards achieving zero hunger.
Century Pacific’s commitment to providing affordable nutrition to its consumers is embodied through sustainable business practices integrated into the company’s goals and objectives. Through its flagship feeding initiative “Kain Po”, CNPF has served over 55 million meals to more than 500K beneficiaries all over the country. This year, the group aims to deliver 12 million protein servings to its partner communities.
