Duterte wants health warning in sugar drinks

MANILA, Philippines — President Duterte wants health warnings to be placed on bottles and packages of sweetened beverages to give consumers information on the sugar content of the drinks to prevent diabetes.

Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said the President expressed concerns on the sugar content of beverages in a recent Cabinet meeting when he was being briefed on the impact of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) law.

“There is a directive from the President to place health warnings against sugar sweetened beverages. If the drink is high in sugar, then there should be a label ‘containing high sugar’ or ‘it can be dangerous to your health’,” Lopez said.

“So we’ll issue the necessary order in that regard, but we’ll have to talk to the stakeholders as we implement that directive from the President,” he added.

Lopez also noted that the prices of Tang and other powdered juices have increased.

“(The prices increased because of) excise tax. Why did it have excise tax? Because of high sugar. And in fact the ingredients say it’s really mainly sugar,” he said.

He pointed out that manufacturers should also inform consumers about the content of powdered juice drinks.

In proposing the labeling, Lopez said the President invoked the “truth in advertising or truth in labeling” clause.

“Sugar sweetened beverages are often given to the elderly, and diabetes has been one of the causes of their death,” Lopez added.

Lopez also maintained that the government has been working to ensure that there is no massive increase in the prices of basic commodities.

“If you look at the inflation, again it’s not the basic necessity and prime commodities. But we saw it in the price increases of beverage, tobacco and of course, the oil, because of world oil prices and in other services like restaurants,” he said.