Consumers favor food warning labels

Consumers are in favor of adopting food warning labels in the country.

Arvee Gonzales, a BPO worker, said when a snack is intensely sweet or salty, she no longer buys it.

“Kung may gusto ako bilhin tapos natikman ko na at naalalang super tamis or super alat pala [hindi na] (If I want to buy something but I remember that it tastes too sweet or too salty, I decide not to buy it),” Gonzales told DAILY TRIBUNE.

Apart from a snack’s price, Gonzales said she also considers it’s nutrition facts label to help her decide on what to buy.

“Minsan sinisilip at kino-compare ko yung nutrition facts sa likod. Kaso ang mahirap naman, minsan nalilimutan ko kung ano yung sukat dapat na di super tamis or alat (Sometimes I peek and compare the nutrition facts of snacks. It's because I often forget how much saltiness or sweetness is too much),” she said.

“Kaya ang mangyayari, kumukuha ako ng two snacks tapos compare alin ang mas mababa ang value sa sodium or sugar content (So what happens is, I get two snacks and compare them with each other to see which has a lower sodium or sugar count),” she added.

Gonzales said having food warning labels for pre-packaged and ultra-processed food and beverage products would help her decide on what food to buy as it would remind her if a food is “too salty.”

“Sa tingin ko makakatulong yung warnings or reminder sa label para sa manufacturers at consumers. Sa consumer side, pag mas nabigyan sila ng better idea sa nutritional content mas makakapagdecide sila kung kukunin yung food item o hindi (I think the warning labels would help both the manufacturers and the consumers. For the consumers, it would give them a better idea on a food’s nutritional content so they could easily decided if they would get that item or not),” she said.

“Sa manufacturers naman, pag hindi kasi mabenta yung goods pag nalaman ng consumers yung may high fat/sugar/salt content, baka mas maconvince sila magproduce ng healthier food items. Medyo kulang kasi yung nutritional value sa likod (For the manufacturers, if the sales of their food item go low because the consumers found out that their food is high in fat/sugar/salt, maybe they could be convinced to produce healthier food items),” she added.

Family snacking

Meanwhile, Nadia de Leon said that when buying snacks for her 13-year-old son, she ensures that they are not too sweet or too salty.

“Sa mga unang beses pa lang naming bibilhin, sinisilip namin yung table sa label para alamin ang sugar at sodium level kada serving. Naging mas lalo kaming maingat sa mga binibiling snacks nang magkasakit ang asawa ko (The first time we buy it, we look at the nutritional table on the label to find out the sugar and sodium level per serving. We became more careful about the snacks we buy when my husband got sick),” she told DAILY TRIBUNE.

If food warning labels get implemented, De Leon said she will think twice about what snacks she buys, especially if they are high in sugar and sodium.

De Leon said she also thinks it would change her buying behavior.

“Hindi na lang ako basta-bastang bibili ng mga snack na nakasanayan namin sa bahay (I won't buy the snacks we're used to at home),” she said.

“Mas matutulungan akong pumili ng mas masusustansyang snack para sa aming pamilya. Iwas na sa sobrang tamis at alat na mga snack (It would help me choose healthier snacks for our family and avoid food that is too sweet or too salty),” she added.

SWS poll reveals labeling support

In a Social Weather Stations poll in July, it found that 66 percent of Filipinos are supportive of a policy that will implement food warning labels for pre-packaged and ultra-processed food and beverage products.

Of this 66 percent, 39 percent expressed strong support for such a measure.

Food warning labels directly identify which products have high or excessive amounts of sodium, sugar and saturated fats that can be harmful to health.

Some Latin American countries, including Puerto Rico, Chile, and Mexico are implementing this measure.

Senate Bill No. 2700 or the Healthy Food Marketing Environment Act was filed in the upper chamber earlier this year.

The bill has been pending in the Health and Demography Committee since then.

Its counterpart version in the House of Representatives has yet to be scheduled for a hearing in the Trade and Industry Committee.