The PPAN or the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition 2017-2022 consists of nutrition-specific programs, nutrition-sensitive programs, and enabling programs to ensure positive nutrition outcomes.
Mandatory Food Fortification is one of the impact programs/ nutrition-specific programs of the Philippine Plan for Action in Nutrition. Food fortification is the process of adding vitamins and/or minerals (micronutrients) to foods and condiments, to improve their nutrient content. It is a long-term solution and most cost-effective strategy in addressing micronutrient deficiencies that has affected a significant proportion of the population and has resulted to catastrophic results in physical, mental, social and economic conditions of individuals, communities and country.
In the Philippines, food fortification is enabled through the national law: Republic Act 8172 (1995) or An Act of Salt Iodization Nationwide (ASIN Law) and the Philippine Food Fortification Law Act or Republic Act 8976. The former law mandates the iodization of all salt produced for human and animal consumption and it aims to alleviate the problem on iodine deficiency disorders. The latter law ensures that certain staples have added nutrients, e.g., rice to be fortified with iron. Staple foods under mandatory fortification includes: a) rice- to be fortified with iron; b) wheat flour- to be fortified with vitamins A and iron; c) refined sugar- to be fortified with vitamin A; d) cooking oil- to be fortified with vitamin A and other staple foods with nutrients.
The key agencies in the implementation of the abovementioned laws are: 1) DOH through the BFAD is the lead agency in the implementation and monitoring of the law; 2) NNC which is the policy-making and coordinating body on nutrition serves as the advisory board on food fortification; 3) Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) provides support to manufacturers in upgrading their technologies by helping them obtain soft loans and other financial assistance; 4) Department of Science and Technology (DOST) helps manufacturers by developing and implementing comprehensive programs for acquisition, design and manufacture of machines and technologies and transfer such to manufacturers; and the 5) Landbank of the Philippines (LBP) and Livelihood Corporation (LIVECOR) provides assistance by granting loans to manufacturers at preferential rates.
The Local Government Units (LGUs) are also responsible for making sure that their constituents’ access and consume fortified food products. Thus, LGUs are encouraged to adopt through local resolution or ordinance the RA 8976, include in their local nutrition action plans, and allocate funds for various initiatives such as the conduct of monitoring activities to retail outlets selling iodized salt, and bakery owners using vitamin A fortified flour and cooking oil. Also, local nutrition workers can disseminate the benefits of fortified foods through distribution of collateral materials, and conduct of nutrition education classes or counselling.
2015 National Nutrition Survey of the Food and Nutrition Research Institute showed that micronutrient deficiencies is still prevalent in the country and in the Cordillera Region. Although statistics showed that micronutrient deficiencies are declining, infant anemia is still high. There must be a continued concerted effort of the national and local action to sustain the declining prevalence.
Bella M. Basalong
Sources:
Department of Health. (n.d.). Retrieved from Republic Act No. 8976: https://doh.gov.ph/sites/default/files/policies_and_laws/RA08976.pdf
Aquino, Albert P.,et.al. (2014). ‘‘Republic Act No. 8976: Establishing the Philippine Food Fortification Program’’ [PDF file].
Document retrieved from WHO-Global database on the Implementation of Nutrition Action (GINA). (2000) https://extranet.who.int/nutrition/gina/en/node/17865 [PDF file].
