MANILA – A standardized, government-imposed design for the front packaging of high sugar content beverages will be out “in a few weeks”, the top trade official said.
Trade and Industry secretary Ramon Lopez said his office has already submitted to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the recommended design.
“We are consolidating reports on this, and in a few weeks we will decide on the design of the front of packaging,” Lopez said in Filipino.
He mentioned that the information on sugar content of beverages are already in the back packaging, but he noted that President Rodrigo Duterte wants the public to be informed that these drinks contain high level of sugar that may pose health risks such as obesity, diabetes, and heart diseases.
Lopez bared in a media briefing in Malacañang Palace last month that it was Duterte himself who pushed for this initiative upon learning that majority of powdered juices have high sugar content.
This led officials of the Department of Trade and Industry to meet with stakeholders for consultation and identify which products will initially bare the sugar content information.
Early this month, Lopez mentioned that the label would be likely an information on the sugar content of the sugary drinks instead of a health warning as a result of the government’s consultation with the private sector. (PNA)
