More than 5,000 underweight children below six years old provincewide are expected to complete before the end of this month the Supplemental Milk Feeding Program partnered by the provincial government of Camarines Sur and the Land O’ Lakes, Inc. (LOL), a U.S. based non-government organization with a branch office in the province.

        The Supplemental Milk Feeding Program with LOL is one of the three-pronged programs of Governor LRay Villafuerte intended to address malnutrition among children here in Camarines Sur. The other major nutrition programs are the LRay Vita Kidz and another Milk Feeding project in partnership with a multinational food conglomerate.

        To date, more than 25,000 underweight children throughout Camarines Sur have already benefited from the said nutrition programs of the provincial government since the time the governor assumed the helm of the province which is already halfway to the target beneficiaries of 55,000 provincewide who were identified as malnourished and needing special attention.

        Under the supplemental milk feeding program with LOL, children beneficiaries are fed daily by a blend of chocolate and milk which contain 9 essential vitamins vital to the health needs of growing kids.

        LOL has milk processing facilities at San Jose, Pili which produces the nutritious blend and is managed by the Camarines Sur Dairy Zone Multipurpose Cooperative. The source of raw milk comes from 300 imported cows that are on loan and the source of livelihood to about 100 farmers dispersed in the towns of Goa, Pili, Sagñay, Ocampo, Calabanga, and Naga City.

        The great advantage of the province’s Supplemental Milk Feeding project with LOL is that the source of milk is produced right here through the imported cattle dispersed among selected and qualified farmers, thus, providing them a source of livelihood and income. SNieves