Villar authors law mandating nutrition labels on food products

Sen. Cynthia Villar today pushed for a law that will improve consumer understanding of food products through nutrition labeling.

Senate Bill 146 or the Philippine Nutrition Labeling Act mandates an easy to read and eye-catching label statement on the commodity that bears its nutritional content that is separate from the label identifying the commodity and the name and place of business of the manufacturer, packager, or distributor.

Villar noted that at present, there is no existing law requiring manufacturers, packagers, or distributors to indicate the nutritional value of food products on their labels.

"We should be able to tell before buying a product whether or not it is good for our family based on the information clearly provided on the label," Villar said.

Villar expressed hope that July, being nutrition month, will be the month where nutrition and health-related legislations would be prioritized by Congress.

"We need this law that will assist consumers build a healthier lifestyle by educating them on the composition and nutritional value of the food they eat. We can see now that more and more people consult labels in assessing the value of these products," Villar said.

Under the bill, the label should contain the following: number of servings or other units of measure per container; the total number of calories derived from any source, and derived from the total fat.

It should also include the amount of the following nutrients in each serving size or other unit of measurement of food: total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, total carbohydrates, complex carbohydrates, sugars, dietary fiber, and total protein.

The bill, once enacted into law, will also mandate the Department of Health with the Bureau of Food and Drugs to carry out activities which educate consumers about the availability of nutrition information in the label and the importance of that information in maintaining healthy dietary practices.