Food Chamber supports FOP labeling move

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Chamber of Food Manufacturers joined the recent held PhilHealth-DOH Fun Run, a nationwide run conducted simultaneously in 18 cities across the country by the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. and the Department of Health.

The Fun Run served as a venue for the soft launch of the Front of Pack (FOP) Calorie labeling, a scientific fact-based system for nutrition labeling and dietary guidance, with a product’s calorie amount clearly placed at the front of the packaging. 

The issuance of FDA Circular 2012-015 on FOP Calorie paved the way for the industry to join the Healthy Lifestyle Advocacy of the DOH.

It is one of the programs that the Food Chamber appreciates in the leadership of Health Secretary Enrique Ona, on top of DOH-FDA’s objective of “finding the balance between innovations and sound regulations.”

Food Chamber president Edith de Leon reaffirmed the association’s commitment to implement programs on consumer awareness, nutrition labeling, and leading an active healthy lifestyle together with government, consumers, and other industry stakeholders. 

De Leon said, “The Food Chamber actively supports the implementation of fact-based Front of Pack labeling to guide the consumers in making informed food choices through a simple, clear, and comprehensive approach.”

This commitment is aligned with the objective of the World Health Organization and the DOH to address the increasing trend of lifestyle diseases or non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

Part of the Food Chamber’s participation in the event was educating participants on the FOP labeling initiative. 

Members of the Food Chamber set up a booth, conducted free BMI reading, provided nutrition consultation, and initiated a survey on front of pack labeling. 

This interaction with the runners served as the first step in launching the FOP labeling scheme to the consumers, in an effort to inculcate the power of informed choice and heightened consumer awareness.