It’s Time to Talk More About What Our Children Eat
Improving Food Options for a Healthier Future
MANILA, 12 SEPT. 2024 –The options available in the market influencing what our children eat during their early years have a lasting impact on their health, growth, and development. In the Philippines, where childhood obesity is a growing concern and one in three children faces the triple burden of malnutrition—undernutrition (stunting and wasting), micronutrient deficiencies or overnutrition (overweight and obesity) —these options are more crucial than ever.
To address these concerns, UNICEF, and the Consortium for Improving Complementary Foods in Southeast Asia (COMMIT) recently hosted a forum aimed at enhancing the quality and safety of commercially produced complementary foods (CPCF). In collaboration with the Department of Health (DOH) and Helen Keller International, the event brought together health experts, policymakers, local government leaders, and advocates to push for stronger regulations and better enforcement of standards in food designed for young children aged 6 months to 3 years.
The consortium was created to ensure baby foods in Southeast Asia are both nutritious and safe for every child. The study found that over one-third of packaged foods made for children aged 6 months to 3 years in the Philippines contain added sugars or sweeteners. Many of these products use potentially misleading and deceptive labelling, and there are not enough strict government regulations around what goes into them and how they are sold. At the same time, the number of overweight children in the country has tripled since 2003, a figure considered “high” by global standards.
The complementary feeding period when children start to consume other foods in addition to breastmilk is a crucial phase in a child's development. During this time, children need nutrient-rich foods to support their rapid growth and development. Unfortunately, many commercially available complementary foods fall short of these needs. The consortium’s recent synthesis report revealed that one in three products in the Philippines contain added sugars, which can lead to unhealthy weight gain and can increase the risk of childhood obesity.
As the market gets flooded with these products, many of which are high in sugar and unhealthy fats, the lack of strong regulations and standards becomes a serious risk to our children’s wellbeing. Dr Roland Kupka, Regional Nutrition Adviser at UNICEF East Asia and Pacific Region, emphasized that early childhood nutrition lays the foundation for lifelong health. He noted that when children consume foods high in sugar or unhealthy fats during this critical period, it can set the stage for obesity and other health problems later in life.
Recognizing this risk, forum participants demanded tighter measures on these types of foods’ formulation, labeling, and marketing. Experts stressed the importance of improving the nutritional quality of these products, as their current composition continues to drive the rise in childhood obesity. Participants also emphasized the need to enforce existing laws more effectively by increasing the monitoring of these products and ensuring companies that fail to meet standards face appropriate penalties. This aligns with World Health Assembly Resolution 69.9, which the Philippines has signed, that advocates for stricter regulations on food ingredients and marketing.
To ensure children receive proper nutrition, the forum emphasized the need for accurate labeling and equipping parents and caregivers with the information they need to make informed decisions during the critical complementary feeding period. Empowering families this way can have a lasting impact on their children’s health and future. And as we observe Obesity Prevention Week, we’re reminded that fighting childhood obesity starts with the options available for our children.
The Philippines cannot move forward in the 21st century with a food system that fails to provide children with safe, nutritious, and sustainable diets. Financial, social, and structural inequities mean some children only have access to highly processed, unhealthy food. The prejudice and stigma that many children affected by overweight and obesity experience in their day-to-day lives also harm their mental health and self-esteem. Preventing childhood obesity, starting from the earliest years, requires everyone—policymakers, the food industry, the marketing industry, parents, caregivers—to work together for every child.
