THE National Nutrition Council expressed alarm over the increasing of number of children and students that have become either obese or overweight.
During the Laging Handa public briefing, Jovita Raval, chief of the Nutrition Information and Education Division of the National Nutrition Council, 37 million Filipino children now belong to the obese category.
Raval said with this situation, they will push for the approval to make combating obesity a national policy.
She said there is now a need to develop ways to push for the observance of a balanced diet or nutrition.
According to Raval, they will coordinate with the Department of Education (DepEd) to ensure that the food being served in school canteens are not salty, oily or excessively sweet.
They will also push for schools to conduct more physical activities for children, encourage parents to ensure that their kids have enough sleep and should sleep on time and should have ample rest.
They will also encourage local government units to pass ordinances where only nutritious food will be sold in and around school campuses.