Ready-to-drink and prepared beverage products laden with sugar or artificial sweeteners will be required to include health warnings on their front labels starting August 2018, the Trade Department said Wednesday.
Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez urged manufacturers of sugar-sweetened beverage to comply with the order, after the Food and Drug Administration and representatives of the beverage industry agreed in two separate meetings on the text and content of the health warnings.
“Right now [contents of prepared beverages] are sugar and flavoring. They [manufacturers] can claim that the sugar content is this much, when the propel label should state per serving,” Lopez said.
He said an indicative measurement could be 20 to 30 grams.
Lopez said the department prepared the order after President Rodrigo Duterte warned about the high levels of sugar in beverages such as powdered juices and their accompanying health risks such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease.
He said the president himself thought about placing warnings on the labels of sugar-sweetened beverages.
The agency said that after the initial meetings, stakeholders agreed to determine the list of products that should be covered by the order.
Lopez said the initial list could cover more products, aside from ready-to-drink, powdered drinks, concentrates and energy drinks.
Even beverage sold in coffee shops could be subject to the labeling requirement, the agency said.
The Trade Department said it would still determine if the health warnings would have any impact on sales of beverages with high-sugar content.
The agency said it was trying to be pro-active in promoting healthy eating habits and healthy food including manufactured products.
Beverage manufacturers expressed their commitment to provide consumers an option for their food choices by complying with the new labeling requirement.
Beverage manufacturers, however, earlier complained about lower sales this year, following the implementation of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion law which imposed an excise tax of P6 per liter on drinks with caloric or non-caloric sweetener and P12 on drinks with high-fructose corn syrup. This affected the sales of soft drinks, bottled drinks, and powdered juices.