House Deputy Speaker Las Piñas City lone district Rep. Camille Villar (Rep. Villar's office)

House Deputy Speaker Las Piñas lone district Rep. Camille Villar believes that Filipinos should know the nutritional value of the pre-packed food products that they buy. 

For this purpose, Villar filed House Bill (HB) No.9344, or the proposed "Philippine Nutrition Labeling Act of 2023". 

If enacted, the measure will make mandatory nutrition labeling on food commodities to ensure food safety and control. 

“This measure is being pushed to promote a healthy lifestyle and support public health initiatives among Filipinos,” she said in justifying the bill. 

The lady solon noted that many packaged food products sold in supermarkets, convenience stores and micro and small stores lack labels to properly inform consumers of their nutritional content. 

"Although there are rules and regulations being implemented by health and nutrition agencies of the government as regards (to) food labeling to ensure food safety and control, many pre-packed food being sold for retail still lack nutritional value labels," Villar said. 

“In the Philippines, as well as in other countries in the Southeast Asian region, there is no mandatory nutrition labeling or requirement for food," she said. 

Only through the "voluntary inclusion by manufacturers, packagers or distributors" does the nutritional value on the labels of food products exist, Villar said. 

"Accurate food labeling also promotes transparency as it provides consumers with vital nutritional information of food that they buy. This practice would also ensure their safety and health when it comes to food consumption," she explained. 

She also said that proper food labeling should be immediately implemented in order to address undernutrition, which "has always been, a serious problem in the Philippines". 

Under HB No.9344, all pre-packed food products would be required to include a label containing the following information: 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 shall 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.