The Nutribun, a bread product first distributed in the 1970s to schoolchildren in the Philippines, has been revived by San Miguel Corporation (SMC) to feed communities under quarantine to help stop the spread of coronavirus disease.
Just days after the Luzon-wide lockdown was imposed on March 16, 2020, SMC reported it started producing its version of the vitamin-packed bread for distribution to charitable groups and critical Metro Manila communities where families have either no access to, or unable to afford, food amid the Covid-19 outbreak. The first batch of Nutribuns was donated to Caritas Manila.
The Nutribun was designed by the United States Agency for International Development Food for Peace program and distributed to Philippine schools in an effort to address childhood malnutrition. The school feeding program began in 1968 and continued until 1997.
SMC President and COO Ramon S. Ang said the bread it started to produce is packed with nutrients and provides instant energy at 250 calories per bun. “This is safe, sufficient and nutritious food for the hardest-hit families facing hunger as a result of the Covid-19 crisis,” Ang said.
SMC food products consisting of canned food, coffee and biscuits have also been distributed to LGUs, checkpoints, and hospitals within Metro Manila, including:
• Philippine General Hospital
• Philippine Children’s Medical Center
• Quirino Memorial Medical Center
• Jose Reyes Memorial Medical Center
• Las Pinas General Hospital
• St. Luke’s Medical Center
• The Medical City
• Mandaluyong LGU
• Paranaque LGU
• Eastern Police District
• Northern Police District
• Camp Karingal
“We will continue to step up and find creative ways to help the neediest and most vulnerable. Panic will not solve anything. We have the means, we just have to work together to win this battle,” the SMC chief said.
SMC’s Ginebra San Miguel factory has also been producing disinfectant alcohol for Philippine hospitals and communities under quarantine as an extension of their efforts to keep their employees safe during the COVID-19 outbreak.
SEND CHEERS in the comments below to SMC for rng the Nutribun to feed quarantined communities.
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