Hontiveros Pushes for Warning Labels, Marketing Restrictions to Protect Children from 'Unhealthy' Food
Manila, Philippines—Senator Risa Hontiveros calls the public to support Senate Bill No. 2700, the "Healthy Food Marketing Environment Act," mandating food warning labels and marketing restrictions in a bid to protect children’s health.
“Ngayong ipinagdiriwang natin ang National Children’s Month, sana po ay maging katuwang kayo sa ating kampanya na ipasa ang Healthy [Food] Marketing Environment Act,” Hontiveros urged the public.
The bill aims to protect children from obesity and related diseases—such as heart disease, diabetes, kidney disease, and certain cancers—by informing consumers if a food product may be harmful to their health. It also promotes responsible marketing to children by limiting advertisements of food and beverages that may be harmful to children’s health.
“Iminumungkahi ng panukalang ito na lagyan ng front-of-pack warning label ang mga produkto para agad na nakikita kung ang isang produkto ay lagpas sa itinakdang threshold ng energy, fat, salt, o sugar,” Hontiveros said in a statement.
If enacted, children and consumers will be able to see which products exceed recommended thresholds for fat, sugar, and salt as the law requires food manufacturers to add clear nutritional warning labels on the front of a product's packaging.
Additionally, children will see less marketing of potentially harmful products as the policy regulates the marketing of products with a warning label in public and online spaces, child-centered settings such as schools, and on TV and radio.
"Isininusulong din nito na i-regulate ang marketing sa iba’t ibang media channels at sa mga lugar na madalas pinupuntahan ng mga bata, para mabawasan ang exposure ng ating mga anak sa mga pagkain at inuming hindi nakakabuti sa kanilang kalusugan."
According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), 99% of social media posts advertising food in the Philippines promote ‘unhealthy’ food. Studies have shown that high exposure to the marketing of unhealthy food increases children’s brand preferences, which drives their purchases and consumption of unhealthy foods. This contributes to poor dietary habits and increases the risk of developing health problems later on in life.
Global success cited
“Nagawa na po ang batas na ito sa ibang mga bansa at talagang nagkaroon umano ng positibong resulta,” Hontiveros added.
Evidence from Chile shows that the law on food labeling and advertising decreased household consumption of beverages that have “high-in” warning labels by up to 23.7%. Additionally, similar regulations addressing unhealthy food marketing on television have significantly decreased children’s exposure to such advertising.
Meanwhile, in Uruguay, the implementation of food warning labeling policy increased citizens’ ability to understand nutritional information.
Building on the success of similar policies, the United States Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) is working toward adopting food warning labeling regulations. Meanwhile, the United Kingdom, having already enacted comprehensive food marketing restrictions, is now aiming to implement stricter provisions.
In the House of Representatives, a counterpart bill, House Bill No. 9819, along with similar measures HB No. 10886, HB No. 10198, HB No. 10674, and HB No. 10361, were filed by Representatives Reynolds Michael Tan, Maria Rachel Arenas, Samantha Santos, Alfred Delos Santos, and Patrick Michael Vargas, respectively. Representatives Steve Solon and Salvador Pleyto also co-authored the proposed law.
"Bilang nanay, isang batas ito na malapit sa puso ko lalo pa at may anak akong immunocompromised…I am sure na kapag ang diet ng ating mga anak ay mas malusog at balanse, mas malakas nilang mahaharap ang anumang hamon ng buhay,” Hontiveros said.
Law group ImagineLaw welcomed the health policy measure. “If we want Filipino children to choose healthy, we have to build an environment that makes choosing healthy easy,” said Atty. Sophia San Luis, executive director of ImagineLaw.
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