Jollibee Group Foundation continues support for Nationwide School-Based Feeding

Busog, Lusog, Talino Kitchens and food safety standards

As part of its commitment to help improve the nutritional status of public school pupils in the country, Jollibee Group Foundation (JGF) continues to work with the Department of Education in building Busog, Lusog, Talino (BLT) School Feeding Kitchens across the country.

BLT Kitchens: efficient school feeding model

JGF started building the BLT Kitchens in 2015 in support of DepEd’s nationwide school feeding program. The BLT Kitchens centralize the preparation of meals that are distributed to surrounding schools feeding hundreds of pupils per kitchen, with less time and effort.

There are now 22 BLT Kitchens that serve over 16,000 pupils in more than 150 schools across the country. JGF plans to open 10 more in 2018.

School feeding standards

The BLTKitchens are implemented using the BLT Standards on Food Safety, Accountability and Community Ownership.

With proper school feeding standards, including proper portioning of ingredients, wearing of sanitary gear and the like, BLT maintains the quality of the food at scale

These are inspired by Jollibee Foods Corporation’s food safety standards and restaurant systems to ensure that meals are safe and nutritious, and that quality is not sacrificed despite scale.

Elements include proper training of personnel, facilities with appropriate equipment, and viable distribution system. 

BLT Over the Years

JGF first introduced BLT as a schoolfeeding program in 2007. A report fromDepEd stated that most drop-out cases in the country were due to hunger and poor health, thus establishing the relationship between food security and effective learning.

From 2007 to 2015, BLT was able to reach more than 1,500 schools in different parts of the country, helping over 165,000 pupils gain normal weight status.

Every day, hundreds of parent volunteers gather in BLT Kitchens nationwide to prepare safe and nutritious meals for participant pupils

As the Department of Education (DepEd) invests in school-based feeding across the country, JGF will continue to support this initiative including sharing the BLT program tools and standards and learnings on public-private partnerships.

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