Health alliance backs NNC

A coalition of health groups Wednesday endorsed a government plan to create a Philippine Nutrient Profile Model to fight the rising rates of obesity and related diseases.

The Healthy Philippines Alliance (HPA) praised the National Nutrition Council (NNC) for proposing the model, which would set limits on sugar, sodium, fats and other ingredients in processed foods.

“When this is successfully implemented in the country soon, we will be setting a standard in the ASEAN region for food regulation,” said Dr. Jaime Galvez Tan, alliance convenor.

The model would be a key tool in reducing the prevalence of noncommunicable diseases like diabetes, cancer, heart disease and kidney disease, the group said, adding that food warning labels could be used to alert consumers about unhealthy products with high levels of sugar, sodium or fat.

Meanwhile, Dr. Ma. Victoria Raquiza, co-convenor of Social Watch Philippines, said the passage of the Philippine Nutrient Profile Model “is crucial to help us in our battle to curb NCD prevalence in the country.”

The HPA stressed that the Philippine Nutrient Profile Model is a major policy tool to effectively reduce NCD prevalence.

According to HPA, it is seen to provide a science-based mechanism to define the limits of critical nutrients or ingredients specifically sugar, non-sugar sweeteners, sodium, total fats, saturated fats, and trans fats, contained in processed and ultra-processed food and beverage products — the excessive consumption of which are linked to obesity and NCDs like diabetes, cancer, heart and kidney disease.

It furthered that the Philippine Nutrient Profile Model will be a vital tool and basis for other food regulatory policies, like food marketing, taxation, reformulation and imposing front-of-package warning labels or food warning labels.