CONGRESS should consolidate pending measures on unhealthy food marketing, nutrition labeling, and food regulation into a single national law as overweight and obesity among Filipino children continue to rise, according to the Congressional Policy and Budget Research Department (CPBRD) of the House of Representatives
“Rather than pursuing these measures separately, Congress should consider consolidating the common provisions into a single Healthy Food Environment Law,” the CPBRD said in its August Policy Brief
The proposed framework would restrict child-directed marketing of unhealthy food, require front-of-pack nutrition labels, and establish a science-based nutrient profiling system to identify products subject to regulation
The recommendation comes as the prevalence of overweight and obesity among children aged 5 to 10 rose to 12.9% in 2023 from 9.2% in 2015. Among adolescents ages 10 to 19, the rate increased to 12.5% from 8.5% over the same period, based on the 2023 Expanded National Nutrition Survey
CPBRD said childhood obesity should not be treated solely as a matter of individual responsibility, noting that children are vulnerable to food marketing and are influenced by food availability, affordability, and increasingly sedentary <a href="https://healthylife7.com/aspial-lifestyle-ups-interim-dividend-by-125-to-s0-009-as-h1-profit-revenue-surge/” title=”Aspial Lifestyle ups interim dividend by 125% to S$0.009 as H1 profit, revenue surge”>lifestyle
Several bills seeking to regulate unhealthy-food marketing, improve nutrition information, and strengthen fiscal measures have been filed in the chamber
The House think tank said these proposals provide an opportunity to establish a comprehensive national framework instead of maintaining a fragmented policy approach
