MANILA – Legislators and public health professionals are calling for urgent measures to limit the marketing of unhealthy food to children, including clear warning labels on high-fat, high-sugar, and high-salt products, amid alarming obesity projections among Filipino youth.
During a joint House hearing on Wednesday, experts cautioned that, without preventive policies, up to one-third of Filipino children could face overweight or obesity issues by 2030.
The Healthy Food Environment Bill, the focal point of the discussion, aims to curb childhood obesity and other diet-related noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) by regulating advertising strategies that exploit children, such as mascots, games, and other promotions.
“Every ad that promotes unhealthy food chips away at our children’s future,” said Reynolds Michael Tan, author of House Bill 819. “Legislators across the spectrum recognize the urgent need to protect families from preventable diseases.”
Manila 4th District Rep. Giselle Mary Maceda, vice chair of the committees and principal author of House Bill 6166, stressed that children should be safeguarded from manipulative marketing practices that could shape lifelong unhealthy habits.
Health Committee Vice Chair Carlos Andres Loria, author of House Bill 6333, pointed out that obesity, diabetes, and other chronic conditions continue to rise, underlining the importance of timely policy intervention.
To date, lawmakers have filed 20 versions of the Healthy Food Environment Bill and four standalone front-of-pack labeling bills, supported by 77 legislators.
The proposed legislation has earned backing from public health groups, including the Healthy Food Environment Coalition, which said the bill could promote a healthier lifestyle for children, and the Philippine Society of Public Health Physicians, which highlighted rising diet-related illnesses among younger populations.
International experience, such as in Chile and Peru, indicates that clear labeling and marketing restrictions effectively reduce consumption of unhealthy foods and steer families toward healthier choices. Advocates emphasized that fast-tracking the bill is essential to protecting the next generation from chronic health issues.
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