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WHEREAS, the present food situation in the Philippines and the need of the people for adequate and balanced food underscore the necessity of increasing the food production and improving the nutrition of the masses; and

WHEREAS, the problems relating to the food requirement of the masses and to the production and distribution of adequate food supply require careful study and consideration;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Elpidio Quirino, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by law, do hereby create and constitute a commission, to be known as the Food Commission, which shall be composed of the following:

(1) A representative of the Department of Health	Chairman
(2) A representative of the Institute of Nutrition	Member and Executive Secretary
(3) A representative of the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources	Member
(4) A representative of the Department of Commerce and Industry	Member
(5) A representative of the consuming public	Member

all of whom shall be appointed by the President.

The Food Commission shall be charged with the duty of formulating plans not only for the improvement of the nutrition of the masses by promoting measures for raising the levels of nutritional standards but also for the solution of the following fundamental problems.

(a)		To increase food production and supply through the use of modern agricultural implements, and scientific technique. To this end the Commission shall find ways and means of increasing the production of rice, corn, casava; root vegetables, such as camote and gabe; beans, such as soya beans and mongo; nuts, such as peanuts. The popularization of enriched rice and enriched flour comes under this category.
(b)		To design the food supply in balanced proportion so that its nutritional values approximate as close as possible the total requirements of the population to be fed. To this end the production and popularization of leafy vegetables, such as malungay, ampalaya, saluyot, squash, kangkong;. root vegetables, such as sweet potatos and carrots; fruits, such as papaya, mango and kasoy, shall be encouraged.
(c)		To plan an adequate distribution of foods to the general public in such a way as to meet the nutritional needs of different groups of people, having in mind that milk, if limited in amount, should be distributed first to infants, young” children, pregnant and—nursing mothers, and patients.
(d)		To determine the actual nutritional status of the people with a view to correcting nutritional deficiencies and diminishing the incidence of nutritional diseases.

To carry out the above functions, the Chairman of the Food Commission is hereby authorized to call upon any officer or employee of any department, bureau, office, agency or instrumentality of the Government for such assistance as may be needed by the Commission.

Any decision or resolution of the Commission, when approved by the President, shall be binding, for implementation and execution, upon the department, bureau or office concerned.

Done in the City of Manila, this 16th day of March, in the year of Our Lord, nineteen hundred and fifty-one, and of the Independence of the Philippines, the fifth.


By the President:

(Sgd.) TEODORO EVANGELISTA
Executive Secretary