The Department of Science and Technology–Food and Nutrition Research Institute (DOST-FNRI) held the 2025 National Nutrition Summit on June 5, 2025 at Dusit Thani Manila, unveiling the results of the 2023 Expanded National Nutrition Survey. Covering 36,703 households and 115,651 individuals nationwide, the survey provides updated, evidence-based insights into the country’s nutrition landscape. 

The findings serve as a critical resource for policymakers, program planners, and implementers, offering timely data to guide national and regional efforts. They highlight both the progress made and the persistent challenges in achieving the Philippines’ health and nutrition goals, reaffirming the urgency of sustained, evidence-based, and locally driven action.

The 2023 Expanded National Nutrition Survey reports that stunting among children under five has declined from 26.7% in 2021 to 23.6% in 2023. However, the burden remains significant, with one in five children still affected. Wasting, an indicator of acute malnutrition, continues to be a concern at 5.6% among children under five and 6.8% among those under two.

These figures point to persistent nutrition gaps, particularly during the critical First 1,000 Days (F1KD) of life. Only 50.4% of infants less than 6 months old are exclusively breastfed, and just 13.9% of children aged 6–23 months receive a minimum acceptable diet. Vitamin A deficiency remains a moderate public health concern, particularly among preschool children aged 6 months to 5 years. Additionally, only 26.6% of infants and preschoolers in this age group meet the recommended energy intake, highlighting significant nutritional gaps in early childhood.

The proportion of nutritionally-at-risk pregnant women has risen to 19.1%, signaling growing concern. While prenatal care coverage is improving, only 22.7% complete the WHO-recommended eight visits for comprehensive care. Alarmingly, just 13.7% of pregnant women meet their recommended daily energy intake.

In addition, three in every ten households experience moderate to severe food insecurity, often forced to reduce meal quality or skip meals altogether. Dietary diversity remains low, particularly among low-income families reliant on staple foods like rice, while food waste is rising, with households discarding an average of 130 grams daily, mostly rice, vegetables, and fish.

These findings call for urgent and coordinated actions. Local Government Units (LGUs) are in a strong position to improve community nutrition. Efforts should focus on the following areas: 

1. Prioritize the F1KD and sustain nutrition through the next 1,000 days (up to age five) by strengthening maternal and child nutrition programs, breastfeeding support, complementary feeding services, and timely micronutrient supplementation.
2. Improve access to quality maternal care by ensuring timely and consistent prenatal visits, comprehensive nutrition counseling, and access to essential supplements such as iron, folic acid, and calcium.
3. Invest in local food systems by promoting household food production, improving access to affordable nutritious food, and regulating local food environments. LGUs should integrate nutrition-sensitive agriculture and livelihood programs to enhance dietary diversity and food security, especially in vulnerable communities.
4. Promote data-driven, multisectoral governance by strengthening local nutrition committees, utilizing data for planning and accountability, and coordinating across health, agriculture, and social services to effectively sustain and scale nutrition interventions at the community level.

Meeting our national and global nutrition targets by 2030 demands empowered local leadership, evidence-based decision-making, and integrated, multisectoral action that begins with coordinated efforts at the community level today.

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The Zuellig Family Foundation (ZFF)’s Pook Malusog program helps communities support children’s nutrition. Learn more: https://zuelligfoundation.com/programs/nutrition/ 

Author: Rio Fe Del Valle, ZFF Nutrition Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Expert

“Gusto kong gumanda ‘yung buhay ng mga kababayan ko. Kung puro sila masakitin, how can they farm, fish, or study?” says Liza Resurreccion, former Mayor and current Vice Mayor of the municipality of Pilar in Siargao Island, Surigao del Norte. 

This 4th class municipality at the center of the beach and surfing island of Siargao is often caught in the push to modernize and develop for tourism, but Vice Mayor Resurreccion chose to prioritize the health and well-being of Pilar, especially its youngest residents. With 163 cases of stunting in the municipality in 2024, malnutrition tops Pilar’s health priorities. 

In 2024, the Zuellig Family Foundation (ZFF) introduced the Pook Malusog Dashboard to Pilar. By 2025, this digital health and nutrition information system was used in all 15 barangays of Pilar to record the height and weight measurements of children under the nationwide Operation Timbang (OPT) program. Then Mayor Resurreccion procured 15 tablet computers for each barangay to support the use of the Dashboard.

The Dashboard detects malnutrition early through its automatic calculation of inputted health indicators. It can be used without internet connection, and has a geo-tagging feature that helps in the tracking of families that need nutrition support.

“With the Dashboard, we want to improve the way [health and nutrition] data is gathered, analyzed, and utilized,” says Dr. Joyce Ann Viar, Nutrition Director at ZFF. Since the old pen-and-paper data gathering approach exposes data to human errors, Dr. Viar adds, “It is better na meron talaga tayong application or tool wherein hindi na kailangang isulat. It can be automatically encoded into a system that can then automatically process the information and give you more real-time analysis.”

Related articles:

• Real-Time Health Data: How Pilar, Siargao is Using the ZFF Pook Malusog Dashboard
• Empowering Barangays and Communities through Nutrition Governance: Pilar’s Journey

Ginaflor Minguita, Database Manager for Pilar, shares, “Sa [Pook Malusog Dashboard], madaling ma-identify kung ‘yung bata ay malnourished. Kasi pag-[enter] mo ng data, malalaman mo agad ‘yung result.” This allows them to provide intervention as soon as malnutrition is detected, compared to the process before the Dashboard was introduced and used. John Mar Virtudazo, Public Health Nurse of Pilar, notes, “After OPT, ma-receive namin ‘yung final output one month after pa. Kung may ma-identify na MAM/SAM (moderate/severe acute malnourished), it’s late na talaga para magbigay ng intervention.”

ZFF provides hands-on one-on-one sessions and coaching on the use of the Dashboard for the foot soldiers of OPT, the Barangay Nutrition Scholars (BNSs). Dr. Viar considers user acceptability—BNSs’ reluctance to use digital tools—as the primary challenge of the Dashboard rollout. “They have to understand why we need to go digital, why we need to use this application.

“No’ng una [mahirap], no’ng nagte-training pa kami, pero ngayon okay na,” says Joela Balunan, the BNS for Barangay Pilaring, Pilar. She shares that each of the 15 barangays of Pilar has at least one designated BNS, and they would work as a team, in small groups, to make their OPT work easier. “Dito [sa Dashboard], automatic na. Mas nakagaan po ito sa trabaho namin,” adds Ruth Coñado, BNS for Barangay Maasin, Pilar.

The ZFF Pook Malusog Dashboard, after its successful pilot implementation in Pilar, alongside Tipo-Tipo and Lamitan in Basilan, is set to be introduced in Del Carmen, another Siargao Island municipality, and other Basilan cities and municipalities within the year. “We saw a positive effect of using the tool, and positive feedback, not only from the users, but from the communities,” Dr. Viar says.

“We want more people to experience this. Having accurate data, [we get] higher chances our communities will be able to respond to malnutrition better and faster.”