The Congressional Policy and Budget Research Department (CPBRD) of the House of Representatives is urging Congress to consolidate pending legislative measures on unhealthy food marketing, nutrition labeling, and food regulation into a single national law, as overweight and obesity rates among Filipino children continue to climb.

In its August Policy Brief, the CPBRD recommended a unified approach. "Rather than pursuing these measures separately, Congress should consider consolidating the common provisions into a single Healthy Food Environment Law," the department stated.

The proposed framework would introduce three core components: restrictions on child-directed marketing of unhealthy food, mandatory front-of-pack nutrition labeling, and a science-based nutrient profiling system to identify which products would fall under regulatory scrutiny.

The call for action is backed by data from the 2023 Expanded National Nutrition Survey, conducted by the Department of Science and Technology's Food and Nutrition Research Institute (DOST-FNRI). The survey found that the prevalence of overweight and obesity among Filipino children aged 5 to 10 rose to 12.9% in 2023, up from 9.2% in 2015. Among adolescents aged 10 to 19, the rate climbed to 12.5% from 8.5% over the same period.

The CPBRD emphasized that childhood obesity should not be viewed solely as an issue of individual responsibility. The think tank noted that children are particularly vulnerable to food marketing and that their dietary choices are shaped by broader environmental factors, including the availability and affordability of food, as well as increasingly sedentary lifestyles.

Several bills addressing unhealthy-food marketing, improved nutrition information, and stronger fiscal measures have already been filed in the House of Representatives. The CPBRD said these proposals present an opportunity for lawmakers to create a comprehensive national framework rather than continuing with a fragmented policy approach.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified childhood obesity as one of the most serious public health challenges of the 21st century, recommending that governments implement restrictions on the marketing of foods high in fat, sugar, and salt to children, alongside clear front-of-pack labeling systems. The WHO has further warned that childhood obesity increases the likelihood of non-communicable diseases such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease persisting into adulthood, placing long-term strain on health systems. Globally, the WHO reported in 2022 that an estimated 37 million children under the age of 5 were overweight, a figure that has remained relatively stable in recent years but remains a concern across both developed and developing nations.

Front-of-pack nutrition labeling has been adopted in a number of countries as a policy tool to help consumers make informed dietary choices at a glance. Chile introduced mandatory black warning labels on products exceeding thresholds for sodium, sugar, saturated fat, and calories in 2016, while Singapore rolled out its Nutri-Grade grading system for pre-packaged beverages in 2022. — Pexcel John Bacon