To address malnutrition among children, the World Food Programme (WFP) country office developed an online software the Menu Optimizer Tool called the PLUS. It will design nutritious and cost-effective feeding menus for school children.
The software will focus on designing menus that contain locally produced agricultural food items to ensure that children eat healthy and balanced diet.
The PLUS was developed following a study conducted on the current feeding programmes in schools. The study found that current feeding programmes in schools do not contain right mix of nutrition, do not consider the age and gender of children and that the children are fed mostly imported foods. Hence the study felt the need to develop standard dietary requirement of school children.
“It is based on database from 3400 types of foods with the nutrient requirement. We have worked with the FAO and the ministry of agriculture to map what kind of food is available in any given part of the country in any given season. So once we know that we can design menus at district level that to a higher extent based on local food that are nutritious. So eventually when we have this rolled out we would be able to replace imported foods to a larger extent with local food,” said Svante Helms, the Head of Office for World Food Programme Bhutan.
The Menu Optimizer Tool, the PLUS is designed to provide school children with the cheapest possible meals that contain nutritional requirements. The tool will ensure that school feeding programmes include menus that contain locally produced food items. WFP’s Head of Office said this will support the government’s initiative to enhance local agricultural development and in achieving the country’s self-reliance in food production.
Currently, the project is compiling data such as food price from different sources, cropping calendar, and nutritional requirements of children based on age groups. The tool will be first piloted in Trongsa by the end of the year followed by Gasa and Punakha based on the lessons from the pilot. The tool will then be rolled out nationwide for 74,000 students enrolled in the National School Nutrition Programme. It is developed in partnership with the School Health and Nutrition Division of the education ministry.
The Menu Optimizer Tool, the PLUS is also selected as one of the Global Best Practice projects to be showcased at the World Expo 2020 in Dubai.
Phub Gyem
