Baybay City launches sweet potato baby food, milk drink

Published on: February 12, 2023

By: NNC

BAYBAY CITY - The local government unit of Baybay City, through its City Nutrition Office, advances another food innovation, this time with the use of sweet potato and buffalo milk. The food commodities will be used in their supplementary feeding programs for pregnant women and children 6-59 months old.

Sweet potatoes or ”camote” in local name is described by Dr. Julie D. Tan who is a retired professor of the Visayas State University (VSU), as “superfood”. It contains compkex carbohydrates and fiber essential for source of energy and dietary fiber that prevents constipation.

On the other hand, milk coming from hybrid carabao or buffalo is a good source of calcium necessary for strong bones and teeth.

City Mayor Carlos Jerico L. Cari welcomed guests and participants especially pregnant and lactating mothers during the event. He stressed the need to support camote and the it’s farmer-growers in the city and in the neighboring towns of the congressional district.

He likewise vowed to support its production including support for technology development, to be utilized as complementary food for nutritionally at risk pregnant women and children 6-59 months old.

Meanwhile, Science and Technology Provincial Director for Leyte Province, John Glenn Ocaña, also vowed to support the project in terms of technical assistance and technology transfer.

For his part, Regional Nutrition Program Coordinator, Dr. Catalino P. Dotollo Jr. expressed his support for the utilization of camote as super food as complementary food for nutritionally at risk pregnant women and children 6-59 months old. Accordingto hims, "The utilization of camote as complementary food will help lower down the malnutrition rate in the city."

Dotollo likewise congratulated the city of Baybay for bagging the 2021 Green Banner Seal of Compliance, Outstanding City Nutrition Action Officer, Outstanding City Nutrition Program Coordinator and a special citation on Best First 1000 Days Innovative Project through their pre-recorded Video Nutrition Education Classes. He also cited the decreasing trend of malnutrition in the city. (NNC)