SEN. Manuel “Lito” Lapid wants to ban junk food and sugary drinks in all public elementary and secondary schools to promote a healthy diet and positive eating environment among students, teachers, and non-teaching personnel.
In filing Senate Bill No. 1231 or the Healthy Food and Beverage in Public Schools Act, Lapid said unhealthy food and drinks contribute to child obesity and malnutrition, adding that offering healthy food and drinks to students will improve their learning and cognitive development.
He said studies show that students who do not have adequate nutrient intake experience more difficulty in learning, which leads to lower academic test scores or, worse, become dropouts.
Under his proposed measure, Lapid seeks to establish a health food and beverage program that aims to prohibit the sale, distribution, and promotion of junk food and sugary drinks inside and 100 meters from the perimeter of public learning institutions nationwide.
“If we guarantee that students have enough access to food with high nutritional value, we can assure that we cannot only raise their level of health but also their performance level in schools as well,” he said.
