Children who were in school in the 1970s remember with fondness the bread called nutribun, as part of their good memories about the administration of Marcos Sr. Until a few of that population learned later in life that it was from an aid coming from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and not really a brainchild of Ferdinand Sr.
Back then malnutrition stalked the country and nutribun was USAID’s Food for Peace assistance to help end the problem in developing countries like the Philippines. The program ended in 1997 as the country became less in need of the project, compared to other countries.
In 2020, the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI) of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) brought back nutribun by improving its formulation, calling it Enhanced Nutribun, rich in squash with beta carotene that turns into vitamin A.
The DOST implied that the Enhanced Nutribun is its answer to DSWD’s call for supplementary feeding during community quarantine and similar emergencies, as per Memorandum Circular No. 12 series of 2020.
In 2022, nutribun was included in the supplementary feeding program of the Department of Education with squash, carrot, and potato variants. Thus, nutribun, although different from the original, is back.
A project is good when it helps solve a problem. Imagine a mere bread as a tool for disinformation and misinformation? Experience is the best teacher. We have been warned.
Nostalgia should not blur our vision of the truth about nutribun. It was and is a project for nutrition, not formulated by any political leader.