The new formula Nutribun is available for mass production, the Department of Science and Technology said, offering a more nutritious and flavorful take on the bread that's familiar to kids in the 1970s.
Each "enhanced" bun or e-nutribun weighs 165 grams and has 502 calories, 17 grams protein, 6 milligrams iron, and 384 micrograms Vitamin A, fulfilling 96% of the recommended dietary intake, the DOST said.
Nutribuns are a project of USAID, distributed by the the Marcos government in the 1970s to fight child malnutrition. Some supporters of presumptive president Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. credit his family for the initiative.
The enhanced nutribun is softer and has two new flavors: purple sweetpotato and orange sweetpotato, according to DOST. It is also available in squash, carrot, and yellow sweetpotato variants.
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The e-nutribuns also has zero transfat, is cholesterol-free, without artificial coloring and flavor, and can last six to seven days when packed in polyethylene plastic.
The nutribun program ended in 1997, but was revived by Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada in 2014 to address severe malnourishment among children.
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