Food industry wants unified rules for school ‘junk food’ ban

THE Philippine Chamber of Food Manufacturers, Inc. (PCFMI) said it may ask the local government department to harmonize the standard for local “junk food” bans on the sale of packaged snacks near schools.
“We plan to write to the DILG [Department of Interior and Local Government] to appeal,” Luis Enrico E. Salvador, Vice Chair of the PCFMI’s Membership and Communications and Public Affairs Committee, said in an interview on Friday in Makati City.
“We want to point out that these (rules) would result in different implementation across different cities,” he added.
The PCFMI said some retailers have complied with the bans, but the overall rules remain unclear.
Senior-Vice President and Head of Nestle Philippines Corporate Affairs Ernesto S. Mascenon has said that the company had been receiving requests for clarification from retailers.
Among the first cities to impose a no-junk food policy is Quezon City.
Its ordinance 2579 of 2017, known as the Quezon City Anti-Junk Food and Sugary Drinks ordinance, prohibits the sale and promotion of junk food and soft drinks within a 100-meter radius of all schools.
The Quezon City’s list of unhealthy products include “processed pre-packed snack food which are high in sodium and/or sugar such as chips, chicharon and popcorn,” among others.
It also prohibits the selling of street food, defined as “unhealthy food, high in fat, calories and salt,” and sugary drinks which cover softdrinks, ‘palamig,’ flavored shakes, sweetened powdered drinks, and sports drinks, among others.
“We are just hoping that [a solution] is accelerated for uniformity of implementation. There could be just one mother ordinance that we can follow,” Mr. Salvador added.
He added that a Department of Education order may have caused some confusion when it banned “sweetened milk” from being sold in school canteens in a department order.
Some LGUs have banned the sale of certain items near schools without providing specific definitions and standards.
“We’re hoping it’s not seen as prohibited because of course milk is seen as one of the ways to boost the nutrition of children,” Mr. Salvador said.
The PCFMI has 96 members encompassing major food manufacturers and small and medium-sized enterprises. — Janina C. Lim