Senator Raffy Tulfo has refiled Senate Bill 1668, aiming to introduce a health rating system on packaged food labels to help Filipinos make healthier choices. The proposed ratings, from 1 to 5 with 5 being the most nutritious, would assess calories, saturated fat, sodium, sugar, and fiber, supplementing existing nutrition facts. However, a nutritionist warns it might promote a simplistic view of food as simply 'good' or 'bad'.
Amid rising obesity concerns in the Philippines, where the 2023 National Nutrition Survey reports 17 out of every 100 adults as overweight and 40 as obese, Senator Raffy Tulfo has refiled the Health Rating Label Act, or Senate Bill 1668. The legislation proposes a front-of-pack labeling system rating packaged foods from 1 to 5 based on their overall nutritional profile, mandatory for all local and imported products sold in the country, excluding fresh unpacked foods, condiments, and certain others.
"This bill seeks to efficiently provide Filipinos with convenient, relevant, and comprehensible necessary information on the nutritional content of the food they choose to consume on a daily basis and promote healthier eating choices," Tulfo stated in the bill's explanatory note. Manufacturers would calculate the ratings and submit them to the Food and Drug Administration for approval, with the FDA overseeing implementation and the Department of Health forming an oversight committee.
Penalties for non-compliance include a written warning for the first offense, a P50,000 fine per day for the second, and suspension or revocation of licenses for the third. In the House, Speaker Bojie Dy filed a similar House Bill 3552 in August 2025, using a half-star to 5-star scale.
Registered nutritionist-dietitian Jo Sebastian views it as a "great step forward" but cautions against oversimplification. "It can be a wider nutrition rating kasi for me, I think 1 to 5 doesn’t put the bigger picture of nutrition too much in perspective," she told Rappler. She highlighted food accessibility issues, noting that fruits and vegetables are pricier than processed options, and that 31.4% of households face moderate to severe food insecurity.
Globally, systems vary: star ratings in Australia and New Zealand, traffic lights in the UK, and Nutri-Score in several European countries. The World Heart Federation endorses mandatory front-of-pack labels to enhance consumer understanding and choices.
