Source: DTI file photo
Filipinos have the right to know what’s in their food: The case for food warning labels
WHEN a person unknowingly buys a product far below the promised quality and safety standards, our laws protect their right against hazardous goods by allowing them to return or refund the product.
If we apply the same principle to food labeling, the parallel becomes clear. Just as a car buyer has the right to know whether they’re buying a new or used vehicle, consumers deserve to know the true nutritional content of what they feed themselves and their families.
Yet, our current food labeling laws fall far short of ensuring this transparency.
At a media roundtable and unhealthy food exhibit recently, doctors and advocates affiliated with HealthJustice Philippines and Healthy Philippines Alliance showcased popular snacks and beverages typically consumed by Filipinos – and placed these side-by-side with visuals of their true sodium or sugar content.
In some cases, one bottle of soy milk actually had the sugar content of an artificially sweetened fruit juice. And these are the snacks and drinks that take up space in our children’s lunchboxes.
Is that not a horrifying reality? Soy milk drinks framed as healthy alternatives to soft drinks may actually be behind the obesity and noncommunicable disease epidemic we see in our country today.
All this because our consumers don’t know any better. All we’re allowed to see, after all, is the flashy marketing offering false promises of “sugar-lite” options that still satiate our taste buds. To say that our laws protect consumers already by providing nutrition facts is nothing short of disingenuous, if not downright malicious.
The average Filipino consumer of these products just wants a drink. The disclosure of, let’s say, 65 grams of sugar means nothing to the student or the factory worker or the commuter who had toiled for nine hours straight and just wants a pick-me-up at the closest sari-sari store.
Nutrients of concern such as sugar, sodium, and fats may not be innately bad but the cumulative, excessive intake of them beyond our daily allowance can trigger the development of hypertension, diabetes, heart and kidney diseases.
Studies have shown that clear and simple warning labels can guide consumers toward healthier choices, holding manufacturers accountable for the health impacts of their products. In countries like Chile and Mexico, where mandatory food warning labels have been implemented, public health outcomes have improved dramatically.
Just as consumers have the right to know what they are purchasing—whether it be a car or food—so too do they deserve clear and honest information about what they are consuming. The spirit of our laws is clear: businesses are obligated to provide accurate information to consumers, whether it’s about the safety of a product or its nutritional content.
The absence of such labels here in the Philippines misleads consumers about what they are really eating and drinking. This is particularly dangerous when we consider the rising rates of obesity and diabetes—diseases that are deeply connected to poor dietary choices influenced by misleading marketing.
If our laws can stand up for Filipinos against deceptive and defective products, why can’t they do the same for the many consumers who have been lied to about the food they eat?
Maria Fatima “Jofti” Villena is a board of trustee of The Policy Center.
Her expertise includes budget and policy advocacy in primary health care, health promotions and non-communicable diseases. By Maria Fatima “Jofti” Villena
AUTHOR PROFILE
Food and Recipe
