00:00In times like this, when we can't avoid eating processed food,
00:05it's important to make sure that we get enough nutrition
00:10even if we eat processed food once in a while.
00:14Because of this, our government implemented Republic Act No. 8976
00:19or the Philippine Food Fortification Act of 2000.
00:23We know what's under this law
00:26and we also know what food fortification is.
00:30We will be joined by Doc Ryo Magpantay and the Department of Health.
00:35Doc Ryo.
00:45Good morning, RSP.
00:48I am Doc Ryo Magpantay from the Ministry of Health.
00:53Now, let's find out what Doc Ryo and the experts have to say
00:58when it comes to various issues related to health.
01:02Did you know that we have a law in our country
01:06that states that nutrients or substances
01:12that contain processed foods or food products
01:16should be given an adequate amount as per Recommended Dietary Allowances or RDA.
01:21This law is Republic Act No. 8976
01:27or also known as the Philippine Food Fortification Act of 2000.
01:33Food fortification is important
01:36so that we can maintain a healthy diet.
01:40Fortified foods usually contain additional vitamins,
01:45minerals, and other macronutrients that are involved in the production of food.
01:51To discuss food fortification,
01:56we will be joined by Ms. Beatriz Marie Jacinto,
02:00a nutrition officer from the Nutrition Information and Education Division.
02:07Welcome to SainiDoc, Ms. Beatriz.
02:09Good morning.
02:10How are you?
02:12I'm okay, Doc Ryo. Good morning to you
02:15and to all of our viewers.
02:18What is food fortification for our viewers?
02:23What is the meaning of it
02:25for our viewers to understand?
02:28According to the World Health Organization,
02:33food fortification is the intentional or intentional addition
02:37or increase of a food's micronutrient content.
02:41When we say micronutrient,
02:43it is the vitamins and minerals that our body needs
02:47to function properly.
02:50In simple terms,
02:52food fortification is the level-up of a food's nutrients
02:57by adding vitamins and minerals to it.
03:02This is usually done by food producers or food manufacturers
03:07and by our government.
03:09What you said is very good,
03:11but I have a question.
03:12Why does a food or drink need to go through food fortification?
03:17That's a good question.
03:19As I said earlier,
03:21our body needs vitamins and minerals.
03:25Now, processed foods,
03:27when they go through different stages of food processing,
03:31the vitamins and minerals that are natural are lost.
03:36So, through food fortification,
03:38or by fortifying our food,
03:41we are not only returning it,
03:44we can also enhance the nutritional value of this food.
03:48So, it is important because
03:51aside from the personal decision of our fellow Filipinos
03:55to eat healthy,
03:56food fortification has no burden on our fellow Filipinos
04:01because the government and food manufacturers are doing it
04:05so that we can make the micronutrients more accessible and available to them.
04:10Aside from what you mentioned,
04:12Beatriz,
04:13Ma'am Beatriz,
04:14what are the other benefits that food fortification can bring?
04:18First of all,
04:20we can avoid micronutrient deficiencies
04:24that are really important in the Philippines
04:26along with the triple burden of malnutrition
04:29that we are facing as Filipinos.
04:32So, first is overnutrition,
04:34undernutrition,
04:35and the third is micronutrient deficiencies
04:38that are really aimed to be addressed by food fortification.
04:42So, through this,
04:44even though our fellow Filipinos are not away,
04:47they are already eating essential nutrients
04:50that are in fortified foods.
04:53What are the fortified foods that we eat
04:57on a daily basis?
04:58Yes, so,
04:59there is a list of staple foods under RA 8976
05:04or the food fortification act that you mentioned earlier.
05:07Four staple foods are required to be fortified.
05:11First is rice.
05:12Rice?
05:13Yes.
05:13So, we eat that every day, right?
05:16So, this is fortified or required to be fortified with iron.
05:20We also have sugar
05:22and cooking oil.
05:24These two are fortified with vitamin A.
05:27This is also required.
05:28And the fourth in this law is wheat flour.
05:33So, this is required to be fortified with iron and vitamin A.
05:37So, aside from these four staple foods,
05:40we also have another law that promotes food fortification.
05:43This is RA 8172 or the salt law.
05:47So, this requires that iodine be fortified.
05:52Yes, our salt.
05:54So, aside from these five staple foods,
05:57we can also find fortified foods in our groceries
06:00in our markets.
06:01Let's look for a Pinoy seal
06:04because this is a DOH standard
06:07that states that this product is fortified
06:11and it has entered the correct process of food fortification
06:15and it meets the RDA that you mentioned earlier.
06:19So, the food that we eat every day
06:23is almost all fortified, right?
06:26And you also mentioned the nutrients
06:28that are added to fortify it.
06:31Can we go through them one by one?
06:33Yes, of course.
06:34So, the first is iron,
06:36the second is vitamin A,
06:38and the third is iodine.
06:40So, these three,
06:42our viewers might wonder
06:46why these three vitamins and minerals
06:50were chosen to be fortified by the government.
06:52Because, according to the evidence
06:54in the National Nutrition Survey,
06:57it was found that these three vitamins and minerals
07:00are the most common in the Philippines.
07:03So, through this,
07:05it seems like they are also addressing these three.
07:08What if, for example, it's not fortified?
07:11It will affect the health of people, right?
07:14Yes, of course.
07:15So, what are the major benefits of our food fortification?
07:19The major benefits of food fortification
07:21is that we can ensure that
07:23all Filipinos who eat these staple foods
07:26can get the right amount of vitamins and minerals
07:31that they need to function properly.
07:34Mm-hmm.
07:35What you said is very important.
07:37It's also very nice to hear
07:39that we should all really focus
07:42on food fortification.
07:45Do you have anything else you want to remind our RSP
07:49and our fellow Filipinos?
07:50Beatriz.
07:51Okay. So, to our fellow Filipinos
07:54who are watching now,
07:55aside from consuming food fortified foods,
08:00of course, we should really support it with a healthy diet.
08:05So, here at the National Nutrition Council,
08:08we are continuing to advocate
08:10to follow the Filipino language
08:12and the ten commandments
08:14so that not only does the system support us,
08:18of course, we also, in our personal choices
08:20as individuals,
08:23ensure that we give our bodies
08:26the right amount of nutrients.
08:28You know, I have a question that I forgot to ask.
08:31I just want to ask you.
08:32What if the fortification is too much?
08:37The fortified food that you eat,
08:39is there a situation like that?
08:40Ah, yes.
08:41What happens there?
08:43If there's a deficiency,
08:45there's such a thing as
08:48micronutrient toxicity.
08:51So, it's not good for our fellow Filipinos.
08:55So, the symptoms are different
08:57according to the vitamin or mineral deficiency.
09:01But it's not common.
09:03But if it's experienced,
09:05it should be supported by a healthcare worker.
09:09It depends on the nutrient deficiency.
09:12So, we should also be careful sometimes.
09:15Yes, there is.
09:16But usually, if it's not too much,
09:20it's just excreted by our body.
09:23Okay.
09:24It's really important to listen to the right information
09:29in our social media.
09:31So, we should choose the right news.
09:34Yes.
09:35So, there should be a balance.
09:37And moderation is key.
09:38It can be too much or too little.
09:40So, it should be just right.
09:41It should always be just right.
09:43What we're discussing this morning is really important.
09:47And I'm sure that our fellow Filipinos
09:49will benefit a lot from our discussion.
09:56Thank you so much, Beatriz.
09:58Ma'am Beatriz, actually.
10:00We should always remember that
10:01it's our obligation to eat nutritious food
10:05so that we can have protection against any illness.
10:08I'm Dr. Rion Magpantay,
10:11your health and wellness advisor.
10:13See you next Wednesday, RSP!
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