FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC) 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
) 
8 
p,il;& 
](j 
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Second Regular Session 
) 
Introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The Constitution, Article 13, Section 11 provides that: 
SEC. 11. The State shall adopt and integrated and comprehensive 
approach to health development which shall endeavor to make 
essential goods, health and other social services available to all the 
people at affordable cost. There shall be a priority for the needs of 
the underprivileged, sick, elderly, disabled, women and children. 
The State shall endeavor to provide free medical care to paupers. 
Nutrition has always been behind hunger-alleviation in terms of priority. As many of our 
countrymen suffer hunger, we often neglect to look into the nutritional value of our food and eat 
anything that can fill our empty stomachs regardless if it truly provides us with the nourishment 
that our body needs. We should endeavor to dispel the common fallacy that nutritious foods are 
expensive. 
Aside from public education, we can also show our concern over nutrition through our 
various feeding programs. We can also regulate the foods that are being served in our public 
schools which cater to our children. By making the people involved in the food and beverage 
industry conscious of our nutrition standards, we would be able to help the recipient of their 
services to get proper nutrition. The state should establish a policy that proper nutrition goes side 
by side with hunger alleviation and that good health is not a monopoly of the rich. 
This bill seeks to establish a nutritional standard for our public schools and feeding and 
food subsidy programs. This bill also mandates the Department of Trade and Industry to make 
nutritious foods easily identifiable in our markets. 
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FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC) 
Second Regular Session 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
8 
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SENATE 
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S. No. 
Introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago 
AN ACT 
TO ESTABLISH NUTRITION STANDARDS FOR SCHOOLS 
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the “Nutrition Standard 
Establishment Act of 2008.” 
SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. - It shall be the policy of the State to encourage good 
health through consumption of foods that meet nutritional standards. The State shall endeavor to 
make nutritious food affordable and accessible to everyone. 
SECTION 3. Definitions. -The purposes of this Act the term - 
A. ESTABLISHED NUTRITION STANDARDS - means nutrition standards for 
competitive Eoods and beverages in schools described in the report of the National 
Nutrition Council; 
B. NUTRITION STANDARDS - means the nutrition standards for competitive 
foods and beverages in schools; 
C. UPDATED NUTRITION STANDflRDS - means the nutrition standards used as 
the basis for regulations promulgated under this Act. 
SECTION 4. Proposed Regulations Based On Established Nutrition Standards. - Not 
later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the National Nutrition Council (”C) 
shall promulgate proposed regulations to define “foods of minimal nutritional ‘value” consistent 
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with the established nutrition standards. Such regulation shall highlight affordable foods that 
meet the minimal nutritional value. 
The definition of “foods of minimal nutritional value” shall apply to all foods and 
beverages sold on the school campus at any time during the school day. 
SECTION 5. Implementation Of Regulations Based On Established Nutrition Standards. 
- Except as provided in this Act, the final regulations described in Section 3 shall take effect at 
the beginning of the school year following the date on which the regulations are finalized. 
If the regulations are finalized on a date that is not more than 60 days before the 
beginning of the school year, the regulations shall take effect at the beginning of the following 
school year. 
SECTION 6. Recommendations for Revised Nutrition Standards. -Not later than 2 years 
after the date of enactment of this Act, and not less than every 5 years thereafter, the NNC shall 
enter into an arrangement with the National Institutes of Health - University of the Philippines 
Manila (NIH-UPM) under which the NIH-WM shall conduct a study to develop 
recommendations regarding necessary updates for nutrition standards to ensure that- 
A. the most current scientific knowledge (as of the date of the study) is included in 
information used to establish the nutrition standards; and 
B. the nutrition standards are consistent with the current dietary guidelines (as of the 
date of the study), with specifications for different age groups and other segments of 
the population. 
SECTION 7. Report. - The NH-UPM shall prepare and submit a report containing the 
recommendations described in Section 5 to the NNC, appropriate committees of Congress, and 
the general public. 
SECTION 8. Regulations Based On Updated Nutrition Standards. - Not later than 3 
months after receiving a report under Section 6, the NNC shall promulgate regulations to revise 
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the definition described in Section 3, taking into consideration the recommendations for nutrition 
standards contained in the report. 
SECTION 9. Use. -All government agencies shall take into consideration the established 
nutrition standards or updated nutrition standards, as appropriate, during the proposal and 
issuance of any regulation for any government program that provides or subsidizes foods or 
beverages. 
SECTION 10. User Friendly ZdentiJcation System. - Not later than 12 months after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Trade and Industry, after consultation with the 
NNC, shall establish a user friendly identification system for identifying foods and beverages 
that meet the established nutrition standards or updated nutrition standards, as appropriate. 
SECTION 11. Appropriutio?~~. 
- To carry out the provisions of this Act, such amount as 
hereby necessary is hereby authorized to be appropriated from the National Treasury. 
SECTION 12. Separability Clause. - If any provision or part hereof, is held invalid or 
unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or the provision not otherwise affected shall remain 
valid and subsisting. 
SECTION 13. Repealing Clause. - Any law, presidential decree or issuance, executive 
order, letter of instruction, administrative order, rule or regulation contrary to or is inconsistent 
with the provision of this Act is hereby repealed, modified, or amended accordingly. 
SECTION 14. Efectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
Approved, 
lapml10608 
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