Written By: Patmei Bello Ruivivar Tuesday, 31 July 2012 Category: Lifestyle

As part of Davao Citys Nutrition Month celebration, a summit of Barangay Nutrition Scholars (BNS) from the 182 barangays in the city was held last Friday, July 27, 2012 at the DMMA gym in Tigatto.

With the summit theme of BNS Katambayayong sa Syudad sa Dabaw, the BNS was tasked to be the partners of the city in implementing the Davao Food Revolution in all barangays. A joint program of the City Government of Davao and the Mindanao Commission on Women (MCW), the Davao Food Revolution is an advocacy campaign for access to affordable healthy food in public schools and low-income communities.

To feed their children healthy food at home, parents must have ready access to stores that sell affordable healthy food. Unfortunately, neighborhood stores in low income communities tend to sell a lot of processed food and junk food. Even the street food available are not really nutritious or even prepared safely and hygienically.

According to the BNS volunteers at the summit, children will choose healthy food over junk food if it is readily available, affordable, and convenient to eat. So they all got excited when the MCW Mothers for Peace Organic Food Cart came to the summit to let the BNS volunteers taste the healthy food made of organic ingredients. The food samples served were camote binangkal, malunggay pulvoron, camote tops juice, and ginger with lemongrass juice made of fresh, local and organic ingredients from healthy recipes developed by the City Agriculture Office.

Healthy food need not be expensive if people grow their own food in their home gardens and community gardens. The Food Revolution encourages people to have control over how their food is produced, prepared, sold, and consumed. It discourages dependence on big corporations that mass produce food that may not necessarily be healthy. With the rising cost of health care, it is wise for the city to invest in nutrition by providing funds to child nutrition programs, making fruits and vegetables available in school canteens, implement wellness policies and expand nutrition education.

The healthy food carts can also be a social enterprise for women in low-income communities. MCW has set up a Mothers for Peace Fund to support women micro-entrepreneurs who want to engage in the production and retail of healthy food in schools and communities.

Join the Food Revolution now!

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Barangay Nutrition Scholars: Davao’s Food Revolution Warriors