Metro Manila, Philippines – After three years of nutrition intervention, 93% of 1,000 children from less-fortunate communities enrolled in a San Miguel Foods program since 2024 are now within the normal range for height and weight, according to the program’s latest results.
The findings come amid a continuing nutrition challenge in the Philippines, where government data shows that the stunting rate among children under the age of five has reached 25.3%, or roughly one in four children. This is reported to be a 1.7% rise from 2023 levels—the first such increase in the country’s stunting rate since 2015.
The program, dubbed “Happy si Mommy, Malusog si Baby” is San Miguel Foods’ implementation of the “First 1,000 Days Initiative”, global health movement focused on nutrition for the first 1,000 days of a baby’s life.
Conducted together with the San Miguel Foundation, the social development arm of the food firm’s parent San Miguel Corporation (SMC), the program measures children’s development based on World Health Organization (WHO) Child Growth Standards and standards set by the National Nutrition Council.
The three-year period starts from the second trimester of the mother’s pregnancy to the child’s second birthday—said to be the most critical window for physical and cognitive development, as what happens at this stage usually has life-long consequences.
Beneficiaries in Misamis Oriental, Bukidnon, Davao del Sur, and Batangas provinces are currently on their third year, and completing the program’s final cycle.
After it successfully implemented the program for a first batch of beneficiaries in 2022, San Miguel Foods decided to expand the program to 1,000 more beneficiaries in 2024.
“As with any San Miguel project, we make sure we are in it long enough to make a difference,” said SMC Chairman and CEO Ramon S. Ang. “That is why we designed this program to be there with mothers and children, day-by-day, every step of the way, for a full three years. The results speak for themselves, and we are grateful to all the partners who helped make this happen.”
On the first year, upon enrollment to the program, mothers receive free ultrasound and prenatal check-ups, nutrition education, and breast-feeding guidance.
On year two, when they would have given birth, up to around the time babies turn one year old, the mothers were given sessions on postpartum care and positive parenting, developed by Child-Fam Possibilities Psychosocial Services. They also received a full-year supply of Mingo meals—a nutrient dense food supplement made from rice, monggo (mung beans), and malunggay (moringa), sourced from the Negrense Volunteers for Change Foundation.
The meals are distributed throughout the year as complementary feeding alongside breastmilk, ensuring that each child’s nutritional needs are met, even when household resources are limited.
Year three introduces a new dimension: early literacy. In partnership with the Adarna Group Foundation, one of the country’s foremost advocates for Filipino children’s literature, the program equips mothers with the knowledge and tools to nurture in their children a love for reading.
Adarna Group Executive Director Con Estrella conducts the sessions herself, teaching mothers how to read aloud, tell stories, and create a language-rich environment at home. These practices, according to Estrella, are consistently linked to stronger cognitive development, better school readiness, and improved communication in young children.
Seeing the importance of early learning, some 200 employee-volunteers of San Miguel Foods have also taken part in dynamic storytelling sessions—bringing characters and stories to life to engage children, as well as to help develop joy for reading among mothers.
“The first 1,000 days are not just about food. They are also about giving a child the best possible start—physically, emotionally, and mentally,” Ang said. “When we invest in a mother and her child during these early, critical years, we’re not just improving one life. We are helping shape the future of a family, a community, and our country,” he added.
