Duterte wants health warnings on sugar-sweetened beverages

MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte wants health warnings on the labels of sugar-sweetened beverages to inform the public of the risks posed by excessive consumption of these products.

Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said the president is worried because sugar-sweetened beverages are usually given to sick people.  

"He (Duterte) said there should be truth in advertising. He is referring to truth in labeling...But I think what he wants to say now, is there should be a warning, just like the ones placed on cigarettes, ‘this can be dangerous to your health’," Lopez said in a press briefing on Wednesday in Malacañang. 

"If it's high in sugar, it should be revealed in front of the product: '(contains) high sugar' or 'this can be dangerous to your health,'" he added.

Lopez said his department will coordinate with the Health department and the Food and Drug Administration for the labeling requirements.

He said among the products that may be covered by the president's directive are energy drinks, soft drinks, and powdered juice drinks.

The placing of health warnings on sugar-sweetened beverages may start within two months, the trade chief added.   

Sugar-sweetened beverages were among the items that were slapped with higher taxes under the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion law. 

The law imposed a P6 tax per liter for drinks containing caloric or non-caloric sweetener and P12 per liter tax for drinks containing high fructose corn syrup or combination. Milk and three-in-one coffee were exempted from the beverage tax.

The move to put warning labels on tobacco products faced stiff opposition from companies and groups that said these would burden tobacco farmers.

The proposal to raise taxes on sugary drinks was similarly opposed, with groups saying small businesses and sugarcane farmers would suffer if consumption goes down because of higher proces. — Job Manahan