HEALTH ADVOCATES URGE LAW ON FOOD WARNING LABELS TO SAVE CHILDREN FROM NCDS

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Health experts, advocates mount mass media campaign to raise awareness and support

Advocates and heath policy experts urge warning label signs in packages of processed food, launch mass media campaign.

MANILA, Philippines — Public health advocates and legal experts at a media roundtable urged for the immediate adoption of food warning labels, calling them a critical step to  protect children from the rampant rise of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) in the Philippines, in time for National Children’s Month. Led by the Healthy Philippines Alliance (HPA), HealthJustice Philippines, and ImagineLaw, the panel argued that current nutrition labels are insufficient to protect Filipinos and our youth from the hidden dangers of ultra-processed foods.

“Our current nutrition labels fall short,” said Dr. Jaime Galvez Tan, former Health Secretary and Lead Convenor of the HPA. “With ultra-processed foods high in sugar, sodium, and unhealthy fats proliferating the market at an alarming rate, we must recognize that the system is failing. We need bold and immediate action to protect Filipino families, especially our children, from the consequences of unhealthy food choices such as obesity and a greater risk for earlier onset of NCDs like heart disease, hypertension, and diabetes.”

At the event in Quezon City, nutritionists used an “unhealthy food exhibit,” to expose the true sodium, sugar and fat hidden in popular food and beverages commonly consumed by Filipinos side-by-side with their true sodium, sugar, and fat content. Of great concern for health advocates is that many of these products are often branded as healthy and suitable for children.

“A parent may allow their child to finish more than one serving of cow’s milk or soya milk thinking they are a healthy food choice without knowing the latter contains the sugar equivalent of an artificially flavored, sweetened juice drink,” Dr. Jaime Galvez Tan said. “These are some of the hidden dangers the public isn’t aware of, and it’s putting our children’s health and lives at risk. The state of our diets is not an accident, nor is it a product of individual choices. It’s by design.”

In a video message commemorating National Children’s Month and played at the roundtable, Sen. Risa Hontiveros urged support for the Healthy Marketing Environment Act, which aims to protect children’s health by regulating the marketing of unhealthy food and requiring food warning labels.

“I am sure na kapag ang diet ng ating mga anak, ay mas malusog at balanse, mas malakas nilang mahaharap ang ano mang hamon ng buhay…Para ito sa ating mga anak. Para ito sa ating pangarap na Healthy Pilipinas,” the health advocate and chair of the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations, and Gender Equality said.

To date, 29.5 million Filipinos are living with overweight or obesity, a risk factor to NCDs, wherein, 40.2% or 4 in 10 adults, 13% of adolescents aged 10 to 19, and 14% of children aged 5 to 10 are overweight or obese, according to the 2021 Expanded National Nutrition Survey (ENNS). UNICEF warned obesity among adolescents may rise to 30% by 2030 if unaddressed. Additionally, the WHO said that children who are overweight or obese are likely to remain obese into adulthood which increases their risk of developing NCDs.

Advocates pointed to success stories in Latin America, where countries like Chile and Mexico have implemented front-of-package food warning labels, leading to measurable improvements in public health. 

With 66 percent of Filipinos saying they would be in favor of a food warning label policy according to the Social Weather Stations, the implementation of food warning labels could be a crucial turning point in the fight against the NCD epidemic in the Philippines. The message from today’s roundtable was clear: stronger food labeling laws are not just a recommendation—they are a necessity to safeguard the health of current and future generations.

Also shown at the media roundtable was the “Dapat May Babala” TV commercial for the campaign, aimed at empowering Filipino families to make informed, healthier choices through clear food warning labels. Journalists were encouraged to learn more about the campaign via the Healthy Philippines Alliance Facebook page and website.

“Mandatory food warning labels have resulted in significant reductions in the consumption of unhealthy foods and better health and nutrition literacy in countries across Latin America,” said Maria Fatima Villena, Board Member of The Policy Center, an HPA member organization. “The evidence from Chile is clear and compelling: when black octagonal warning labels were introduced, there was a 10% reduction in sugar purchases. The Philippines can—and must—learn from their experience.”

In the Philippines, NCDs such as diabetes and heart disease have been on the rise, often driven by an unhealthy diet including the consumption of ultra-processed foods marketed as convenient. The roundtable called for a united effort across sectors—parents, consumers, doctors, and civil society—to demand immediate policy reform.

The Healthy Food Marketing Environment Act (Senate Bill No. 2700) was filed in the Senate earlier this year. The bill has been pending in the Health and Demography Committee since then. Its counterpart version in the House of Representatives has yet to be scheduled for a hearing in the Trade and Industry Committee.

“This is not just a few bad apples involving a few brands or advertisers; it’s a standard practice that makes it a far-reaching public health concern that touches every household in the country,” remarked Atty. Laurence Mikhail Millan of ImagineLaw. “This is why our mass media campaign aims to spur policymakers and the general public to action, through informative short videos on TV, digital platforms nationwide, and billboards across Metro Manila.”

The urgency of the call was underscored by recent data showing that the Philippines continues to lag behind in implementing food labeling regulations that other countries have proven effective. As processed foods continue to mislead consumers, the roundtable participants stressed that the time for waiting is over.

“We are already losing too many lives to preventable diseases. The question we need to ask ourselves is simple: how many more are we willing to lose before we act?” concluded Dr. Galvez Tan.

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