CDO, Unilab push ‘Gabay Nutrisyon’

MANILA, Philippines - A leading food manufacturing company and the country’s top pharmaceutical and healthcare company have helped save thousands of poor children from malnutrition over the past decade.

CDO-Foodsphere Inc. and United Laboratories Inc. (Unilab) have joined forces in providing assistance to the less fortunate members of the society, especially children who are suffering from undernutrition.

Through a project called Gabay Nutrisyon initiated by Odyssey Foundation Inc. in June 2005, more than 15,000 previously undernourished children were restored to normal health. Odyssey Foundation is the corporate social responsibility arm of CDO Foodsphere.

Gabay Nutrisyon is a 64-day supplemental feeding program which aims to address the growing incidence of malnutrition among children aged 2 to 6. It has two cycles per year catering to 150 underweight children.

Under Gabay Nutrisyon, the children are provided with different heavy snacks every feeding day such as soup, spaghetti and champorado. Some of the dishes have dried malunggay and squash to elevate their nutrient contents. Through the partnership with Unilab, the children beneficiaries also receive daily vitamin supplements.

Odyssey Foundation targets that by the end of the 64-day program, the children will reach the normal nutritional status in terms of appropriate weight for their respective ages.

Since 2005, Odyssey Foundation, with the support of CDO-Foodsphere and Unilab, has undertaken Gabay Nutrisyon across 47 sites in Luzon and one in the Visayas (Samar).

 “This is our social mandate — to serve as catalyst of community development firmly anchored on our principle of giving something back that will benefit the less privileged and marginalized members of our society,” said CDO Foodsphere president Jerome Ong.