MATAPOS ang sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), susunod na rerebyuhin ng pamahalaan ang sugar content ng packed snacks, tulad ng candies at biscuits, upang malaman kung kinakailangan ding maglagay ng health warnings sa kanilang labels, ayon kay Trade Secretary Ramon M. Lopez.
Sinabi ni Lopez na palalawigin ng gobyerno ang plano nitong paglalagay ng health warnings sa labels sa packaged food.
“Packaged food, too, is next on the list. At least, [manufacturers of packaged food] should indicate the sugar content [of their products],” wika ni Lopez.
Ang confectionery items, gaya ng candies at biscuits, ay rerepasuhin ng Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) at ng Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sa sandaling matapos ng pamahalaan sa SSBs o matatamis na inumin.
Ani Lopez, magsasagawa rin ang DTI ng konsultasyon sa stakeholders at FDA hinggil sa naturang plano.
“These [confectionery items] will be next. After SSBs, we are going after them,” dagdag ni Lopez.
Sinabi pa ng trade chief na inirerekomenda ng DTI ang pagsasama sa impormasyon sa sugar content per pack at per serving bilang bahagi ng front-of-pack label ng anumang packaged beverage—kapuwa liquid at powdered mix.
“Sugar per se is not bad if taken in moderation because it is a natural source of energy and calorie. That is why we have agreed just to put a disclosure on the content of sugar and that there is no need to put words such as ‘warning,’” ani Lopez.
“In consultation with the FDA, FNRI [Food Nutrition Research Institute] and [the] NNC [National Nutrition Council], it was revealed that there is also no technical definition of what is high amount of sugar in a drink. But there is a prescribed amount of sugar as a source of energy, that is equivalent to not more than 50 grams of sugar in an average 2,000 calorie diet per day, noting that there are other food and beverage that a person consumes in a day as sources of calorie; thus, what we shall put in the front of pack label is attached,” dagdag pa niya.
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