Bicol University Tabaco Campus

Tabaco City
Food Technology Department

Activity 2 (Food Laws)

Philippine Labeling Law and Philippine Nutrition Labeling Claims

Instructions: Please refer to Philippine Labeling Law Requirement (pdf) and Philippine Nutrition
Labeling Claims 2015 (pdf) as reference material.

Answer Guide Questions:

1. What are the basis of Nutrition Labeling Law and Philippine Nutrition Labeling Claims?
AO 2014-0030-Revised Rules and Regulations Governing the Labeling of Prepackaged Food
Products Further Amending Certain Provisions of AO No. 88-B s. 1984 or the Rules and
Regulations Governing the Labeling of Prepackaged Food Products Distributed in the
Philippines and for Other Purposes
2. Describe the main parts of a label?

PARTS OF A LABEL

 Principal Display Panel (PDP) or Alternate Principal Display Panel

Portion of the package label that is most likely to be seen by the consumer. Sometimes, a
food package may also have an alternate principal display panel, which refers to the other
surface of the package that is also suitable for display as PDP.
Required information:

-Product Identity Name

-Net Content Declaration

 Determination of the area of PDP

-For rectangular package, it is the height
times the width

-For cylindrical or nearly cylindrical container, it is 40% of the

value of the height of the container times the circumference

-For other shaped container, it is 40% of the total

surface area excluding tops, bottoms, flanges of cans, and
shoulders and necks of bottles and jars
-However, if the
container has an obvious PDP, e.g.
the top of a triangula or
rectangular package, the area
shall consist of the entire top surface

 Information Panel
-It is the label panel immediately to the right of the PDP, as seen by the consumer facing the
product with the following exceptions:

- If this panel too small to accommodate the necessary information or is not usable (e.g. folded
flaps), then the information panel is the next label panel immediately to the right of this part of the label
- If the package has one or more alternate PDP, the information panel is immediately contiguous
and to the right of any PDP

- If the top of the container is the PDP and the package has no alternate PDP, the information panel
is any panel adjacent to the PDP

Required information:
- All other mandatory information which include the name and address of the manufacturer, packer,
or distributor; the ingredient list and the country of origin

-The nutrition facts (when present) may appear on the information panel

3. Describe and discuss the mandatory labeling requirements.

Product Identity or Name
-The name should distinguish the product from other products of the same type
-A sufficient precise description of the food and of its nature
- Product name should not be misleading
-The name prescribed by law
Net Content Declaration
-Expression of the weight, measure or numerical count or a combination of numerical count and
weight of the product inside the package.
- Examples:
NET WEIGHT 227 g
NET CONTENTS 355
NET WT. 397 g
24 pieces
NET WT. 2.95 kg
NET CONTENTS 9.463 L
 Ingredients
-Are defined in Article to mean “any substance, Are defined in Article to mean “any substance,
including additives, used in the manufacture or including additives, used in the manufacture or
preparation of a foodstuff and still present in the preparation of a foodstuff and still present in the
finished product.” finished product.”
-Listing of all the ingredients or components of Listing of all the ingredients or components of
the product in descending order of predominance the product in descending order of
predominance by weight
Examples:
- Snails in Coconut Milk
-Ingredients: Snail, coconut milk, salt, garlic, spices
• Benzoic acid (preservative) Benzoic acid (preservative)
• Sodium slfate (antioxidant) (antioxidant)
• FD & C Blue No. 1 FD & C Blue No. 1
Name and Address of Manufacturer
Packer or Distributor
-Examples:
Manufactured by:
Distributed by:
Packed by:
Country of Origin
-Example:
Product of the Philippines
Lot identification code
- The lot identification code/production code shall be embossed or otherwise permanently
marked on immediate individual packages or containers.
Open-Date Marking for specific food
-means legibly indicating a date on food labels/packages for the purpose of informing the
consumer about the expected quality of product at a given period of time provided that it has
been properly stored.
-Consume before
-Best before
-For bakery products, milk and milk products, vitamin C enriched liquid fruit drinks
4. Differentiate and compare nutrition claims and health claims.
 The rules on any use of nutrition claims or health claims in food shall be covered by the rules
of B.C. 2007-002 (Guidelines on the Use of Health and Nutrition Claims in Food) based on
the Codex Guidelines.
NUTRITION CLAIMS
 - The only nutrition claims allowed are those relating to the energy, protein,
carbohydrate, fat and its components, fiber, sodium, vitamins and minerals with Nutrient
Reference Value (NRV)
-The NRV is based on the latest Recommended Energy and Nutrient Intakes (RENI)

HEALTH CLAIMS

- Must be based on current relevant and scientific facts and the level of proof is sufficient
to support the claimed effect and the relationship to health.
- Must be acceptable to the competent authority where the food is sold.
- The claimed benefit should arise from the consumption of a reasonable quantity of the
food or food constituent.

5. Discuss what are nutrition labeling exemptions and explain what are some health claim
conditions.
Nutrition Labeling Exemptions
- Foods for Special Dietary Uses and Foods for Special Medical Purposes covered by a separated
guideline or Codex Standard
- Bottled drinking water
-Prepackaged foods in multi units retail packages such as candies with surface area of less than
10cm2 when sold together with the primary packaging.
- Foods served or sold in restaurants which are not labeled or prepackaged; available to the
consumer for immedicate consumption.
- Foods that contain insignificant amounts of all nutrients to be listed in nutrition labeling (e.g.
Coffee and most spices, flavor extract, food color, etc.) as determined by FDA.
Health Claim Conditions

- If the claimed benefit is attributed to a nutrient with established reference value, the food should
be:

1. Source of or high in the nutrient/constituent

2. Low in or reduced in or free of the nutrient/food constituent

- Only those essential nutrients for which Nutrient Reference Values (RENI) have been established
should be the subject of a nutrient function claim