Learning Session and Action Planning with Civil Society for the Front-of-Pack Labeling Campaign in the Philippines
February 2, 2024
Improve access to nutritious food to help prevent overweight and obesity crisis, health group urges
March 6, 2024
Our hearts are hurt when we constantly eat unhealthy ultra-processed food products (UPPs), warned the Healthy Philippines Alliance (HPA), a network of civil society organizations working to prevent and control noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), in time for the celebration of Valentine’s Day and Philippine Heart Month this February.
The HPA cited a multinational study, published in 2023 in The Lancet Regional Health — Europe, which discovered that high consumption of UPPs is associated with higher risk of developing multimorbidity, or a combination of cancer and cardiometabolic diseases (e.g. heart disease, heart attack, stroke, diabetes, kidney disease). The study examined more than 266,000 men and women from 7 European countries who consumed UPPs that constituted more than half of their daily intake.
UPPs are foods that contain preservatives, emulsifiers, and artificial sweeteners, colors and flavors. Some of the most common are breakfast cereals, softdrinks, ice cream, hotdog, corned beef, meatloaf, sausages and instant noodles, to name a few, the HPA explained.
“One way of showing extra love and care for our hearts is to cut down our consumption of UPPs to save ourselves from cardiovascular diseases. Replace UPPs with healthier choices like fresh fruits, vegetables, and home-cooked meals. A healthier diet will, in the long run, also save us from the economic burden of health care costs,” said Dr. Jaime Galvez Tan, former Health Secretary and convener of the HPA.
More importantly, UPPs often contain high levels of sugar, sodium, and fats which are critical nutrients for NCDs like cardiovascular diseases. Hence, the HPA echoed the World Health Organization’s recommendation for governments to implement nutrition labeling such as front-of-pack labeling (FOPL) as one of the ‘best buys’ intervention to reduce unhealthy diet and lower the intake of sugar, sodium, and fats.
“If the Philippines adopts front-of-pack labels or FOPL, we are optimistic that the prevalence of cardiovascular disease can be reduced. FOPL will be simpler interpretations of nutrition facts and when placed at the front of food packages will be clearly and quickly understood. This tool can guide consumers away from UPPs and other food products with excessive amounts of sugar, sodium, and fats, which harm the heart,” added Dr. Galvez Tan.
Apart from this, the HPA further encouraged Filipinos, even those below age 40, who regularly consume UPPs, to monitor their blood pressure and check for hypertension, as many may be unaware. Hypertension is a common risk factor for the development of cardiovascular diseases. In fact, prevalence of hypertension among Filipinos rose from 22% in the 1990s to 37% in 2021, according to the PRESYON 4 study by the Council for Hypertension of the Philippine Heart Association.
Meanwhile, data from the Philippine Statistics Authority revealed that from January to July 2023, ischaemic heart disease, that leads to heart attack, is the number one cause of death in the country with more than 65,000 cases.
Moreover, the WHO’s Country Profile on NCDs for the Philippines ranks cardiovascular diseases as the top cause of death countrywide killing about 250,000 Filipinos every year.
Patricia Loren M. Reyes
Project Coordinator for Communications
HealthJustice
HealthyPhilippines Alliance
