Secretaría Nacional para el Plan de Seguridad Alimentario y Nutricional (SENAPAN)

Ministerio de Economía y Finanzas (MEF)

Autoridad Panameña de Seguridad de Alimentos (AUPSA)

Ministerio de Educación (MEDUCA)

Ministerio de Salud (MINSA)

Fondo de Inversión Social (FIS)

Ministerio de Desarrollo Social (MIDES)

Ministerio de Desarrollo Agropecuario (MIDA)

General objective

Achieve by 2015 that the Panamanian population which lives in a situation of food insecurity and nutrition has access and consumes food in sufficient quantity, variety, quality and safety under conditions of health and sanitation, in a sustainable manner, in order to achieve human development through the commitment and participation of government, international organizations, unions and society.

Strategic objectives

1. Contribute to improving the food and nutrition situation of the Panamanian population especially for the poorest and most vulnerable, integrating multi sectoral actions in the areas of health, nutrition, food, agriculture, education, communication and the environment.
2. Promote actions to improve economic, physical and cultural access of the population to food, especially those who live in poverty and extreme poverty.
3. Promote adequate consumption of nutritious and safe food through political, economic, educational, environmental and cultural actions in order to strengthen the capacity of the population to make appropriate decisions on selection, storage, preparation, distribution and consumption of food within their family.
4. Take necessary action in order to reduce or eliminate specific nutritional micronutrient deficiencies.
5. Strengthen comprehensive care with a preventive approach for maternal and child groups in order to ensure their access to health services, safe water and sanitation, and promote the optimal use of safe and quality food and their absorption of nutrients.
6. Articulate the various programs, projects and inter and intra-sectoral actions, under the system of social protection and social promotion, to achieve a greater impact through policy on the population, especially on those that are most vulnerable and at greater risk.
7. Ensuring the quality of domestic food consumption, in terms of hygiene, safety and nutrition and cultural relevance.
8. Strengthen the system for Food and Nutrition Surveillance so as to identify factors that influence the order to issue early warnings and take political and technical decisions in a timely manner.
9. Establish policies and coordination mechanisms between national and international institutions involved in the field for the coherent and coordinated implementation of programs of food security and nutrition in order to optimize resources and capabilities.
10. Guarantee the right of students to adequate food regarding their requirements and cultural relevance and local resources so as to obtain better school performance, regular attendance to school and remain in the education system.

Program areas and proposals

• Family farming
  1. Home improvement and backyards for family food and nutrition security.
  2. Increase production. Increase and diversify family farming.
  3. Improve family post-harvest handling.
  4. Strengthen indigenous family farming.
  5. Support for urban / peri urban family farming.
  6. Strengthen the institutionalization of family farming environments.
  7. Assessment, monitoring and research for family farming.
• Social protection and public participation
  1. Population´s access to food.
  2. Dialogue and coordination of stakeholders.
  3. Information, education and communication on food safety.
• Commercialization, food safety and consumer protection
  1. Commercialization of food products.
  2. Consumer protection.
  3. Quality and safety of food products.
• Promoting nutrition and maternal and child health
  1. Combating child malnutrition and promoting maternal and child health.
  2. Prevention and control of micronutrient deficiencies.
  3. Complementary Food Program (PAC).
  4. Iron supplement program.
  5. Vitamin A supplement program.
  6. School feeding program.
  7. Family cash transfer in order to buy food.
  8. Conditional cash transfer.
  9. Programs of the Ministry of Social Development.
  10. National Food Security and Nutrition Plan.
  11. "Familias Unidas" (United Families) program.
  12. National School Nutrition Program.
  13. Nutrition Board.

The target population of the FNS Plan is the part of the population that has higher levels of vulnerability, which is in a situation of food and nutrition insecurity, pregnant women and nursing mothers, children under the age of three and families exposed to chronic malnutrition in priority communities and priority municipalities.