Proposed law wants health warnings vs salty, sugary food

MANILA, Philippines – A proposed law in the House of Representatives wants advertisements for salty and sugary foods and drinks to include public health warnings similar to requirements imposed on cigarette advertising. 

House Bill No 5964 is titled the “Broadcast, Webcast, and Published Warnings on Foods High in Sodium or Sugars.”

It seeks to add the following sentences to ads, commercials, and other marketing tools if the sugar or sodium content of the food or drink is at least 20% higher than the recommended limit intake in the most recent Recommended Energy and Nutrient Intake (RENI) adopted by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI):

In Filipino: Nakasasama sa kalusugan ang pagkain o pag-inom ng labis na maalat o matamis dahil maaaring magdulot ito ng pangmatagalang mga sakit na maari maging sanhi ng pagkabaldado o kamatayan.

Or in English: Ingesting food and beverages that are high in salt and sugar are harmful to your health because they can, in the long term, cause diseases that can lead to your permanent disability or death. 

The proposed law is an initiative of  28-year old AANGAT TAYO Party-list Congressman Harlin Neil Abayon.

Abayon said he wants Filipinos to make smart food choices. “We are pushing for this because in your youth you work hard to save up pero napapabayaan ang kalusugan, tapos pagdating ng 40+ years old, lumalabas na ang mga sakit (but you neglect your health and then because of that you suffer various illnesses when you reach 40),” he said in a statement issued on Sunday, August 6.

“Yung ipon napupunta lang sa pagpapagamot instead of sa family. Pero kung nalaman sana nila to make smart food choices early on, naiwasan sana yung ganoong situation in life (So your savings go to your medicines instead. But if you make smart food choices early on in your life, you can avoid that situation),” he said.

Abayon said this law is necessary to help prevent lifestyle diseases – among the top killers in the Philippines – such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and kidney disorders which could lead to permanent disability or death. – Rappler.com