Health group to gov’t : Fast-track measures to stop Filipinos dying from unhealthy food products and NCDs

Our government leaders should accelerate implementation of measures, mainly a robust Nutrient Profile Model (NPM) paired with a mandatory food warning label law, to protect Filipino consumers from unhealthy food products and noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) like diabetes, cancers, and chronic kidney disease (CKD). The Healthy Philippines Alliance, a network of public health advocates and civil society organizations convened by HealthJustice Philippines, made the call in time for the celebration of World Kidney Day and Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month this March.

The HPA agreed that there is a need for product reformulation following the World Instant Noodles Association’s (WINA) “Manila Declaration” to voluntarily lower sodium and fat content in their products. However, the HPA challenged the government to urgently institutionalize interventions that will set healthier standards for levels of sugar, sodium and fats for all pre-packaged food and beverage products.

“We need a robust NPM that sets threshold levels for sugar, sodium, and saturated fats in pre-packaged food products. Those that go beyond the thresholds will be identified through mandatory front-of-pack food warning labels to help consumers avoid products that can harm them. These interventions in turn encourage the food and beverage industry to reformulate their products,” said Dr. Jaime Galvez Tan, former Health Secretary and Lead Convenor of the HPA.

The HPA maintains its position for the Philippines to adopt a strong pro-consumer NPM aligned with the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended maximum intake for nutrients of concern–sugar, sodium, and fats–and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Model.

“We need our leaders to act now and save lives from cancer, CKD, and other chronic diseases. We urge them to approve the WHO PAHO-based NPM that has been pending at the National Nutrition Council. Contrary to what the industry has raised, the WHO PAHO Model is appropriate even to the Philippine population because the thresholds are based on WHO’s population nutrient intake goals. It is a tool meant for consumer protection,” Dr. Galvez Tan added.

Additionally, front-of-pack food labeling is listed as one of WHO’s ‘best buy’ solutions to promote healthy diets and prevent NCDs.

In Chile, a recently published study in January 2025 found that after full implementation of their food warning label law, food products tagged with “HIGH IN” warning labels significantly dropped from 70.8% to 52.5%. This indicates that food manufacturers chose reformulation wherein levels of sugar, sodium, and fats were lowered across several food and beverage products.

HPA’s Dr. Maricar Sabeniano, Oncology Manager of the Philippine Cancer Society, also reminded Filipinos, “When your diet consists of low intake of fruits and vegetables and high intake of processed meats you expose yourself to a higher risk of colorectal cancer. The better the quality of food we put in our bodies, the lesser the risk for developing any type of cancer. Cancer is now the 2nd leading cause of death in the Philippines. Our government should start now and impose stricter regulations on unhealthy food products to help Filipinos practice better dietary choices and make it a habit to discern what they consume.”

Diets high in sodium and sugar lead to hypertension and diabetes, the top causes of CKD. The National Kidney Transplant Institute estimates that 1 Filipino every hour develops CKD. In 2021, the Philippine Society of Nephrology said at least 7 million Filipinos are diagnosed with CKD. While a 2022 study revealed that the prevalence of CKD in the Philippines is at 35.94% which means 3 in every 10 Filipinos are suffering from the disease.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization reported in 2022 that among the types of cancers, colorectal cancer is the 3rd most common among Filipinos with more than 20,700 cases yearly, and ranks 4th in causes of death claiming about 10,700 lives a year.

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Contact persons:

HEALTHY PHILIPPINES ALLIANCE
Secretariat : healthyphilippinesalliance2018@gmail.com

Patricia Reyes, Communications Officer
+639760085498 / plamangune@gmail.com

Anelle Cortez, Project Coordinator
+639178139696 / anelledc@gmail.com