Republic of the Philippines :
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City
FIFTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

House Bill No. _4 461
—_—]

Introduced by How. Mark Aeron H, Sambar

EXPLANATORY NOTE
‘The Constitution, Article 13, Section 12 provides:

The State shall establish and maintain an effective food and drug
regulatory system and undertake appropriate health manpower development
and research, responsive to the country’s health needs and problems.

In 2005, 35 million people died as a result of chronic diseases. This is 60% of the total
number of deaths in that year. Out of all deaths from chronic diseases, 30% were duc to
cardiovascular disease (CVD). We know that 80% of heart disease, stroke and type ? diabetes
and 40% of cancer can be prevented through cheap and cost-effective means.’ In the WHO
World Health Report 2002, it is estimated that globally 62% of cerebrovascular disease and
49% of ischaemic (reduced blood supply) heart disease were caused by high blood pressure
Heart diseases are the primary cause of death for persons aver 60 years of age and the second
cause of death for persons aged 15-59 years. The report reviews strategies to reduce the risks
associated with CVD and states that in all settings population-wide selt reduction strategies
were the most cost-effective? ,

Finland showed that salt reduction in products can actually lead to a reduction in
sodium excretion Jevels and to a corresponding drop in blood pressure fevels? This shows
that salt reduction initiatives can be effective in reducing cardio-vascular diseases. in the UK,
the initiation of the Salt Campaign took place after the Scientific Advisory Committee on

' WHO Report, 2005,

* Reducing Salt Intake in Populations, Report of a WHO Forum and Technical meeting S-7 October
2006, Paris, France.

* Collated Information oo Salt Reduction in the EU, Compiled by the Furopean Commission, Ageit
2008.

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‘Nutrition (SACN) published its report: “Salt and Health’ in 2003. The main conclusion from
this report was that there was a fink between high salt intake and high blood pressure and that
a reduction in the average salt intake of the population would proportionally lower population
blood pressure levels. The reduction in salt intake would lead to significant health benefits
due to reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. SACN recommended that the average salt
intake should be reduced from 9.5 p/d to 6 g/d, with lower levels recommended for children‘

There is conclusive scientific evidence of the adverse effect of excessive dietary salt
consumption on health, particularly on blood pressure, leading to cardtavascular disease,
gastric cancer, osteoporosis, cataracts, kidney stones and diabetes.> Current recommendations
indicate that in order to prevent chtonic diseases, the population average consumption of salt
should be < 5 g/day (<2 g/day of sodium).° According to the current data, salt consumption
Jevets in populations in most countries are significantly higher than these recommendations.

Population-wide strategies for sodium reduction are estimated to be more cost
effective than traditional hypertension control programs in almost all settings. There is thus a
need to give priority to the implementation of a national strategy aimed at the reduction of
dietary salt consumption, An interdisciplinary, integrated, multi-stakeholder, holistic
approach should be followed in the policy development and implementation of this goat.
Policies aimed at salt restriction must be socially inclusive and participatory. All social
lasses and sectors need to be specifically targeted, particularly the most valnerable and poor
This Bill considers interventions in several settings, targeting different population groups,
and partnerships between different stakeholders to develop and implement effective
intervention mechanisms.

IN H. SAMBAR

4 ttp://www.sacn gov uk/pdfs/sacn_salt_final.pdf
* Cappuccio & MacGregor, 1997; Cappuccio et af., 2000
“WHO Report 1983, WHO Report 2003

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Ue we

Republic of the Philippines.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City
FIFTEENTH CONGRESS
Fast Regular Session

House Bill No.__44gy
ne

Introduced by Hor. Mark Aeron H. Sambar

AN ACT
TO REGULATE THE SALT INTAKE OF CONSUMERS BY PROVIDING
ALTERNATIVES TO THE CONVENTIONAL USE OF SALT, REQUIRING STRICT
LABELLING STANDARDS, CONSUMER EDUCATION AND INITIATING
PARTNERSHIPS WITH THE FOOD INDUSTRY

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 “Sat Intake Regulation
Act of 2011.”

SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. — tt is the policy of the State to establish and
maintain an effective food and drug regulatory system and undertake appropriate health
manpower development and research, responsive to the country’s health needs and problems.

Itis also the policy of the State to protect and promote the right to health of the people
and instil health consciousness among them.

SECTION 3. Commission on Acceptable Levels of Salt intake. — There is hereby
created a commission to research on the acceptable tevets of salt intake for the population to
be composed of three experts from the medical community, two representatives from the food
industry, and one representative each from the Secretaries of Health and Trade and Industry.
They shall be appointed by the President for a non-extendible period of one (1) year. They
shall elect their chairperson and will serve for a period of one (1) year. They shall subnvit

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1 their report to the Secretaries of Health and Trade and Industry and such report shall serve as

2 the basis in the drafting of the tmplementing Rules and Regulations of this Act.

3 They shall receive inputs from the following sectors:

4 (a) Public Sector.

5 1, Department of Health and the Department of Trade and Industry;

6 2. Bureau of Food and Drugs;

7 3, Department of Education - interventions in schools and universities, research

8 — (universities and scientific leadership), academia;

9 4. Department of Science and Technology;
10 5. Public Information Agency;

u 6, Locat Government Units;

R 7. Univessities and Hospitals

3 (®) Private sector:

\4 1, Food and non-alcoholic beverage producers;

1s 2. Spices, condiments, sauces and food preservatives producers;

16 3. Catering industry;

7 4. Restaurants and bars;

18 5. Special interest groups (industry groups, business, trade organizations),

19 6. Apex organizations of commercial groups, commercial sector organizations;
20 7. Salt producers and miners:

21 8. Retailers;

2 9, Advertising industry;

23 10. Other vendors;

24 1. Private schools and hospitals administrations,

25 12, Media and the press


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{c) NGOs/ civil society:

1. Community groups (including women, cultural and religious groups);

2. Consumer groups; «

3. Health promotion organizations;

4, Food safety organizations;

5. Health professional societies/ associations;

6, Education organizations;

7. Parent-teacher associations;

8. Micronutrient interest groups.

SECTION 4. Labeling Requirements. — The Department of Health and the
Department of Trade and Industry shall develop and implement compulsory nutritional
Jabeling policies on manufactured foods including information on the salt/sodium content.
The nutrition label format and its placement on the product must be according to the format
proven to be most helpful and easy to read by the majority of the consumers, Restaurants,
caterers and other meal producers/distributers should provide nutritional information about
the meals, including information on salt content. This shall include companies/caterers/food
providers for school and worksite canteens.

SECTION 5. Product Reformation. — The following principtes should serve as
guidelines for the food industry:

(a) Food producers are encouraged to reduce or remove completely, when
Possible and appropriate, the salt comtent of their foods particularly those from processed
food products. .

{b) Food producers and food distributors (catering companies, restaurants, schools -
and worksite canteens, cic) are asked to voluntarily take the initiative to reduce the salt

Content of their food products/meals to the lowest salt content possible. Their action should


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be in Hine with the national goats and monitored by the appropriate governmental health
agencies.

{c) National standards need to be developed specifically for restaurant or meal
Producersidistributors i0 ensure compliance of served meals with national dietary
recommendations. This is particularly critical for those companies/caterers/food. providers for
school and worksite canteens.

SECTION 6. Implementing Rules and Regulations, — The Secretaries of the
Department of Health and the Department of Trade and Industry shat! come up with the
Implementing Rules and Regulations for the implementation of this Act within two (2) year
fiom its approval. ,

SECTION 7. Standards in Drafting, the Implementing Rules and Regulations. ~ The
following should be taken into account in drafting the IRR:

(a) Identify and monitor the main food products for targeting salt reduction;

(b), Increase public awareness of sodium levels in available foods;

(c} Increase awareness among food Producers of the high salt content of their
products;

(d) Encourage food producers to contribute in a meaningful way to the
implementation of the national goal for the reduction of dietary salt intake;

{e) Target major food producers or trade organizations to standardize the sodium
content of foods that are distributed locally and internationally;

@ Alternatives to the use of salt fortified with micronutrients such as iodine or
Muoride need to be urgently explored;

(g) Enforce clear mechanisms to monitor the food producers activities’ related to

the salt composition of food products.


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SECTION 8. Report to Congress. — Within five (5) years from the approval of this
Act, the Department shall submit its report to Congress.

SECTION 9. Separahitity 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 10. Repealing Clause. - Any law, presidential decree or issuance,
executive order, letter of instruction, administrative order, rule or regulation conirary to or
inconsistent with, the provisions of this Act is hereby repealed, modified, or amended
accordingly.

SECTION 11. Effectivity Clause. — This Act shall take effect fificen (15) days after its
publication in at feast two (2) newspapers of general circulation.

Approved,