\n\t\t\t\t\tAwaiting approval, the Philippine Nutrient Profile Model sets limits for fat, sugar, non-sugar sweeteners, and sodium found in prepackaged food and beverages\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n
MANILA, Philippines \u2013 Are Filipinos eating healthy or not?<\/p>\n
Consider the following data from a recent Philippine Statistics Authority survey:<\/p>\n
Medical experts have also been sounding the alarm on dietary fat, sugar, and sodium<\/a>, which, when taken in large amounts, can lead to the development of chronic illnesses.<\/p>\n To arrest unhealthy eating habits, the Philippine Nutrient Profile Model (PNPM) has been developed by the National Nutrition Council (NNC) under the Department of Health<\/a> (DOH).\u00a0<\/p>\n Once approved by the Office of the President, this mechanism can set thresholds for specific unhealthy nutrients \u2014 total fat, saturated fat, total sugar, added sugar, sodium, and non-sugar sweeteners. These \u201cnutrients of concern\u201d (NOC) are often found in prepackaged food and beverages.<\/p>\n Nutrient profiling essentially means identifying the nutritional value of food by analyzing its ingredients and composition, then classifying it as healthy or not, based on set standards.\u00a0<\/p>\n Based on this, specific limits for unhealthy nutrients can be established, following recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO) and deliberations of experts:<\/p>\n Nutrients of concern (NOC)Recommended limitRemarksTotal fatless than 30% of energy or calories per servingmeasured in kcalSaturated fatless than 10% of energy or calories per servingmeasured in kcalTotal sugarless than 10% of energy or calories per servingmeasured in kcalAdded sugar0 grams (g)not recommended to add to prepackaged food\/beveragesSodium1 mg\/kcalderived from the WHO\u2019s recommended 2,000 mg of sodium per dayNon-sugar sweeteners0gnot recommended to add to prepackaged food\/beverages<\/p>\n The thresholds are grouped into 16 food categories, including dairy products, condiments, prepackaged fruits and vegetables, meat and fish products, bakery wares, soups and sauces, beverages, ready-to-eat savories, and more. Click here<\/a> for the full list.<\/p>\n Queenie Wapericua, NNC Nutrition Officer II, said in a mix of English and Filipino, \u201cThe PNPM is just part of a larger plan \u2014 the National Policy in Addressing Obesity and Other Metabolic Disorders. It will dictate or guide various policies.\u201d<\/p>\n These policies include plans for a front-of-pack labeling system and better food marketing for children.<\/p>\n Currently, more than 20 bills have been introduced in the House of Representatives that promote a healthier food environment, including these plans.<\/p>\n How it began<\/p>\n Conceptualization began in 2015 when the WHO Regional NPM for the Western Pacific was introduced in the country.<\/p>\n After numerous consultations, the NNC and other stakeholders decided to develop a nutrient profile model tailored to the Philippines\u2019 food culture.<\/p>\n After years of back-and-forth meetings and development, the final draft was approved<\/a> by the NNC Governing Board, chaired by the DOH, on June 10.<\/p>\n The PNPM in practice<\/p>\n In the April 2026 publication draft shown to Rappler, the PNPM requires people to calculate the value per 100g of each NOC shown on the nutrition facts of a prepackaged product.<\/p>\n Applying a proposed PNPM formula, ordinary consumers should be able to determine on their own whether a certain food product surpasses limits for unhealthy nutrients.<\/p>\n Once approved and cascaded to the market, the PNPM will help consumers through labels indicating products are \u201chigh in fat,\u201d \u201chigh in sodium,\u201d or \u201chigh in sugar.\u201d<\/p>\n Wapericua emphasized that the PNPM is primarily intended for policymakers, legislators, food manufacturers, and researchers.<\/p>\n Petitions to veto the model<\/p>\n There are mixed views on whether Marcos should approve the current version of the PNPM.<\/p>\n A group called the Healthy Philippines Alliance has lauded the PNPM\u2019s potential role in consumer health and protection<\/a>. For them, it is \u201cpremature\u201d to claim that it would negatively impact the poor, businesses, and the informal sector.<\/p>\n But various groups are requesting a comprehensive impact assessment<\/a> of the PNPM\u2019s economic and social effects upon implementation, as well as balanced policies<\/a> that treat manufacturers and the broader food industry fairly.<\/p>\n Wapericua said all stakeholders were consulted regarding the PNPM, which she calls \u201cstep one\u201d in the process. Discussions on front-of-pack labeling, according to her, will entail consultations, meetings with stakeholders, and analysis of the impact of regulation.<\/p>\n Ultimately, the long-term goal is to create a healthy food environment and prevent diseases. Wapericua said, \u201cWe just want to let the Filipino people\u2026be informed with the food items that they consume.\u201d \u2013 Rappler.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Awaiting approval, the Philippine Nutrient Profile Model sets limits for fat, sugar, non-sugar sweeteners, and sodium found in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":537342,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[163,85,46,543],"class_list":["post-537341","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nutrition","tag-health","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-nutrition"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/537341","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=537341"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/537341\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/537342"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=537341"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=537341"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=537341"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}