DoH, legislators, and civil society organizations form first multi-sectoral coalition for healthy diet promotion
Credit to Author: The Manila Times| Date: Sat, 14 Dec 2019 13:23:39 +0000
“More than just a call for this hand-holding initiative is a genuine call to improve our health outcomes from non-communicable diseases and to build a healthy nation,” said Dr. Rosalie Paje, division chief of the Lifestyle-Related Diseases Division of the Disease Prevention and Control Bureau (LRDD-DPCB) of the Department of Health (DoH) as she described the purpose and vision of the Healthy Diet Coalition during its first partners meeting held on October 25 at The Bayleaf Intramuros in Manila.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 41 million die each year because of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) and its risk factors worldwide, accounting for 71 percent of all deaths globally. In the Philippines, coronary heart disease (CHD), a kind of NCD, was the leading cause of death from 2011 to 2013 and 2016, resulting in 170,000 lives lost or 68 percent of all Filipino deaths.
According to a major study conducted by the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) of the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington, USA, an unhealthy diet has been found to be responsible for one in every five deaths each year, or 11 million deaths worldwide. An unhealthy diet consists of energy-dense, nutrient-poor processed foods that are high in salt, trans fat, saturated fat, and sugar, while low in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and seeds.
To address this growing health concern, the Department of Health (DoH), World Health Organization (WHO) Philippines, and civil society organizations, ImagineLaw, a public interest law organization, and Mandatum Novum, a media organization, with support from the Resolve to Save Lives (RTSL) Initiative, formed the first multisectoral coalition for healthy diet promotion to reinforce the country’s commitment to reduce premature deaths due to NCDs.
On the occasion of the first partners meeting, representatives from the Office of Congresswoman Helen Tan, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI), National Nutrition Council (NNC), other national government agencies, civil society organizations, academe and media organizations signed a Declaration of Commitment to promote a healthy diet for the prevention and control of NCDs by enacting, enforcing and advocating for strong policies to regulate trans-fatty acids (TFA), reduce salt consumption, and limit consumption of sugar and saturated fat, and increase consumption of fruits and vegetables.