A health advocacy group has urged the government to speed up the implementation of policies that would protect Filipinos from noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) by regulating unhealthy food products through a robust Nutrient Profile Model (NPM) and a mandatory food warning label law.
In a statement issued in observance of World Kidney Day and Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month this March, the Healthy Philippines Alliance (HPA)—a coalition of public health advocates and civil society organizations convened by HealthJustice Philippines—urged the government to take swift action in implementing policies that safeguard Filipinos from NCDs.
The alliance stressed the need for product reformulation following the World Instant Noodles Association’s (WINA) “Manila Declaration”, which aims to voluntarily reduce sodium and fat content in their products.
With this, the group urged the government to institutionalize interventions that would set stricter nutritional standards for sugar, sodium, and fats in all pre-packaged food and beverages.
“We need a robust NPM that sets threshold levels for sugar, sodium, and saturated fats in pre-packaged food products. Those that go beyond the thresholds will be identified through mandatory front-of-pack food warning labels to help consumers avoid products that can harm them. These interventions in turn encourage the food and beverage industry to reformulate their products,” Dr. Jaime Galvez Tan, former Department of Health (DOH) secretary and lead convenor of the HPA, said.
The Philippines, according to the HPA, should adopt a strong, pro-consumer NPM aligned with the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recommended maximum intake for sugar, sodium, and fats, and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Model.
“We need our leaders to act now and save lives from cancer, CKD, and other chronic diseases. We urge them to approve the WHO PAHO-based NPM that has been pending at the National Nutrition Council,” Galvez Tan stated.
Despite industry concerns, the former DOH chief emphasized that the WHO PAHO Model remains relevant for the Philippine population, as its thresholds align with WHO’s population nutrient intake goals.
It serves as a safeguard for consumer protection, he added.
Front-of-pack food labeling is among WHO’s “best buy” strategies to promote healthy diets and prevent NCDs.
In Chile, a study published in January 2025 found that after fully implementing their food warning label law, the proportion of food products tagged with “HIGH IN” warning labels significantly dropped from 70.8 percent to 52.5 percent indicating that manufacturers opted to reformulate products by reducing levels of sugar, sodium, and fats.
HPA’s Dr. Maricar Sabeniano, Oncology manager of the Philippine Cancer Society, emphasized the importance of a proper diet in preventing colorectal cancer.
“When your diet consists of low intake of fruits and vegetables and high intake of processed meats, you expose yourself to a higher risk of colorectal cancer. The better the quality of food we put in our bodies, the lesser the risk for developing any type of cancer,” she said.
Cancer, she said, is now the second leading cause of death in the Philippines.
“Our government should start now and impose stricter regulations on unhealthy food products to help Filipinos practice better dietary choices and make it a habit to discern what they consume,” Sabeniano said.
HPA warned that diets high in sodium and sugar contribute to hypertension and diabetes, which are the leading causes of chronic kidney disease (CKD).
The National Kidney Transplant Institute estimates that one Filipino develops CKD every hour.
Meanwhile, the Philippine Society of Nephrology reported in 2021 that at least seven million Filipinos are diagnosed with CKD, while a 2022 study found that the prevalence of CKD in the country is at 35.94 percent, meaning three in every ten Filipinos suffer from the disease.
Per 2022 WHO data, colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in the Philippines, with over 20,700 cases recorded annually. It also ranks as the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths, claiming around 10,700 lives each year.