Dr. Mario Capanzana, Executive Director of the Philippine Chamber of Food Manufacturers (PCFMI) recently sat down with agri-commodities reporter Ada Pelonia in an episode of “Freshly Brewed” for a conversation on the importance of pre-packaged foods in the market.
We all want to be healthier, which is why diligent selection of nutritious ingredients is important when buying pre-cooked items in groceries and stores.
In a recent episode of “Freshly Brewed,” BusinessMirror’s digital show, Dr. Mario Capanzana, Executive Director of the Philippine Chamber of Food Manufacturers (PCFMI) sits down with agri-commodities reporter Ada Pelonia for a conversation on the importance of pre-packaged foods in the market.
PCFMI, a 65-year-old organization, has more than 100 local food manufacturers and traders. According to Dr. Capanzana, it aspires to be the voice of the sector that aims to provide safe and nutritious food for all Filipinos. Among its advocacies are food safety and nutrition, as well as the innovation and renovation of food items, and working towards science-based policies on manufacturing nutritious food.
On the difference between ultra-processed food and pre-packaged food, the PCFMI officer clarified, “Recently, there have been talks about ultra-processed food that is being associated as unhealthy. Whereas we have the official definition of pre-packaged food based on issuances by the Food and Drug Administration.”
Dr. Capanzana was referring to FDA Circular 2022-011, which defines pre-packaged foods as “packaged or made up in advance in a container, ready for sale to the consumer or for catering purposes.”
He mentioned that the term “ultra-processed” food can be traced back to the University of São Paulo in Brazil when its researchers conducted a study on how the country consumed its food. The result is the NOVA classification system that grouped food items according to the level of processing that the items have gone through. The NOVA system has four food categories: (1) Unprocessed, (2) minimally unprocessed, (3) processed culinary ingredients, and (4) ultra-processed foods, like snacks, which are ready-to-eat and prepared through industrial technology.
“There seems to be a misconception about what are healthy and unhealthy and how they are associated with ultra-processed foods. In reality, when you talk about ultra-processed foods, it means the process methods. But when you are talking about healthiness, it should be the food component that should be classified,” he commented.
“So practically, it’s not an apt definition. Technically, there’s no acceptable definition about ultra-processed food. When we talk about healthiness, we need to talk about food components, whether the food is high in protein, fat, or sodium, for instance,” he said.
Instead, Dr. Capanzana pointed out that the Codex Alimentarius created in the early 1960s by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the World Health Organization (WHO) would be a more fitting measure of healthiness in food. The Codex has provisions ranging from food hygiene, food additives, contaminants, labelling, and presentation, to name a few.
He explained that pre-packaged foods have their purpose especially in terms of food availability. He cited a recent case wherein there was an oversupply of fresh tomatoes in Nueva Ecija that were eventually spoiled because they didn’t reach as many markets as the fresh produce should have.
Dr. Capanzana, an accomplished food engineer, observed, “The farmers realized that there was a need to learn how to process that particular type of tomato. So maybe, the tomatoes have to be pre-heated, their skin removed, canned, with some other ingredients added, and subjected to thermal processing so that they can have a longer shelf life.
“So, if you label it as ultra-processed food (which is associated as bad for the health), then that’s wrong because you have healthy food that’s sustainable all year round. You have food that has a longer shelf life, and of course, nutritional improvement.”
“The beta carotene in tomato, for example, will not be available for our body’s absorption if you do not process it,” he explained, adding that the bioavailability of nutrients is enhanced by certain processing methods since it breaks down cell walls and thus releases the nutrients.
Dr. Capanzana cited another case of oversupply, this time, in the Cordillera region. “The kalabasa or squash that the farmers harvested could’ve been saved by processing or pureeing them to be used for another time and when needed. So, processing is very important and shouldn’t be labelled as unhealthy.”
Food fortification
On the other hand, the PCFMI executive director also discussed food fortification wherein nutrients that are not naturally present or are present in low quantities in the food are important. Fortifying foods appear in the form of pantry staples such as salt, bread, tomato sauce, milk, instant noodles, and rice, just to name a few.
“With fortified food, especially processed food, some of the nutrients are diminished during heating. These include protein, and particular vitamins and minerals. We advocate fortification to improve food quality,” he commented. “We add nutrients like Vitamin A, Vitamin D, iodine, and iron to put back the nutrients lost during processing.”
However, not all foods are suitable for fortification, he continued, “There are guidelines that we follow.”
Republic Act of No. 8976 establishes the Philippine food fortification program and other standards. According to the law, food fortification should be based on the recent Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for Filipinos. Fortification will be carried out to compensate for the insufficiencies of the Filipino diet.
The act also mentions that “business establishments enumerated in the preceding section except food service establishments shall be duly licensed with the concerned government agencies, such as National Food Authority for rice, FAD for wheat flour, Sugar Regulatory Administration for sugar and Philippine Coconut Authority for cooking oil. They shall likewise inform FAD prior to the process of fortification and they shall register their products with FAD prior to distribution.”
Still, says Dr. Capanzana, balance is still the key, “Yes, you can meet your daily requirements with fortified foods. But you should also do it in moderation. Nutritionists will advise that we eat in moderation and with variety.”
Following the Pinggang Pinoy food plate guide developed by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI), Dr. Capanzana suggested that if one lives, for instance, in the farm and fresh fish for protein and other vitamins and minerals are not readily available, then one can opt for canned fish like tuna or sardines.
“Then, you add veggies, and of course, rice or camote and you have a healthy diet in that case,” he suggested. “I think , moderation, balance, and variety are important to come up with a healthy diet. Gradually, you can come up with your sugar or salt reduction with alternatives to make sure that the food you are eating is still acceptable and enjoyable.”
The future of food
With concerns such as the country’s growing population and climate change that affects food harvests and supplies, preparing for the future is key to food security. Dr. Capanzana surmised,
“With the increasing demand for healthy food or functional food, we need to innovate. Food that is beyond nutrition, food that will provide us with health benefits.”
He cited, for instance, products that help lower blood sugar because they contain fiber. “These foods have components that will help prevent some of the non-communicable diseases. These are the things that manufacturers are looking at. Besides the nutritional content, they are also looking at some functional characteristics that are helping solve some of these diseases. The important thing is that these components are based on scientific evidence.”
But ultimately, stated Dr. Capanzana, it’s the consumers who decide what to buy for themselves. And that is why, he said, “It’s important to read the labels. And we also need support for more awareness. That’s the gap that needs to be filled right now.”
• For the full episode with PCFMI Executive Director Dr. Mario Capanzana, go to the BusinessMirror YT channel, FB and X pages. Watch fresh episodes of “Freshly Brewed” streaming on Mondays, 10 a.m. at BusinessMirror’s YT and socmed accounts.