DoST-FNRI unveils emergency nutrition technologies

DoST is actively recruiting private food manufacturers and investors to commercialize the emergency meal lines, with several prospective partners already submitting formal letters of intent.

Science and technology officials showcased specialized emergency food innovations aimed at providing balanced nutrition during disasters at the HANDA Pilipinas 2026 Visayas event on Wednesday.

Disasters like typhoons, earthquakes and floods frequently disrupt food supply chains and limit access to nutritious food across the Philippines, which ranked as the world’s most at-risk nation on the World Risk Index from 2022 to 2025.

Beyond evacuation planning and early warning systems, access to nutritious food should be an essential component of disaster preparedness, according to the Department of Science and Technology’s Food and Nutrition Research Institute (DoST-FNRI).

Supervising Science Research specialist Jaypy S. de Juan, who heads the institute’s Technology Transfer and Commercialization section, stressed that emergency food items must meet body energy requirements during crises, incorporating balanced nutrition principles derived from the government’s “Pinggang Pinoy” program.

To meet those standards, the institute formulated the Ready for Everyday and Emergency Situations-Quality Meal program, known as ResQ Meals.

The emergency food suite features shelf-stable options including Champro+, a high-protein chocolate porridge containing 14 grams of protein and 9 grams of dietary fiber per 250-gram serving, and Enerbisc, a high-calorie milk biscuit yielding at least 360 kilocalories per 80-gram pack for children.

The lineup also includes low-sodium, ready-to-eat pouch meals such as KAIN Na!, which combines rice, chicken, and mixed vegetables, and Nameaaat, a pre-cooked chicken and sweet potato meal.

DoST is actively recruiting private food manufacturers and investors to commercialize the emergency meal lines, with several prospective partners already submitting formal letters of intent.

De Juan cited that if commercial licensing agreements proceed on schedule, the packaged emergency meals are expected to enter commercial production and distribution by the first or second quarter of 2027.