MAAARING tanggap ito ng beverage makers subalit pinalagan naman ng mga business leader ang plano ng pamahalaan na maglagay ng health warnings sa sugar-based drinks o matatamis na inumin sa paniniwalang sobra na itong panghihimasok sa pribadong sektor.
Sa isang statement na ipinadala sa BusinessMirror, sinabi ng Beverage Industry Association of the Philippines (BIAP) na buo ang suporta nito sa ‘factual, accurate, non-discriminatory at informative back-of-pack at front-of-pack labelling sa mga produkto’.
Idinagdag nito na ang BIAP member-firms ay bukas sa pagbibigay ng kaalaman sa mga consumer hinggil sa mga nilalaman ng kanilang sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs).
“All products comply with all applicable regulatory requirements on nutrition and content labelling of the government. The BIAP looks forward to working with the DTI [Department of Trade and Industry] and [the] FDA [Food and Drug Administration] in encouraging consumers to make informed choices,” pahayag ng BIAP.
Gayunman, hindi pabor sa bagong batas sa SSBs ang mga business leader. Nagbabala si George T. Barcelon, chairman ng Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), na ang plano ay maaaring magresulta sa lalo pang pag-regulate ng gobyerno sa iba pang produkto.
“If people are addicted, they don’t really care so much. What we need is prevention, especially for children, and that begins in schools,” ani Barcelon.
“However, it is alarming that the government is intruding on that aspect of private business, of the private sector, projecting certain industries as negative,” dagdag pa niya.
Iginit ni Barcelon na may negatibong epekto sa paglalarawan ng mga partikular na produkto bilang mapanganib sa kalusugan.
“It doesn’t have to be the government intruding too much, but more of preventive [measures to] help the young know what is good and what is bad for their health. The government does not have to resort to targeting certain industries,” aniya.
Ang opinyon ni Barcelon ay sinusugan ni Sergio R. Ortiz-Luis Jr., presidente ng Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc. (Philexport).
“Businesses are facing daunting challenges recently, and it will further injure their operations if the government launches a campaign to discourage consumption of certain products,” wika ni Ortiz-Luis.
“That is really difficult for the private sector, as problems pile up on us one after another,” dagdag pa niya. ELIJAH FELICE ROSALES
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