Section 3. Definition of Terms. —
For purposes of this Act, the following terms shall mean:
BFAD — the Bureau of Food and Drugs of the Department of Health.
DOH — the Department of Health.
Fortification — the addition of nutrients to processed foods or food products at levels above the natural state. As an approach to control micronutrient deficiency, food fortification is addition of a micronutrient, deficient in the diet, to a food which is widely consumed by specific at-risk groups.
Fortificant — a substance, in chemical or natural form, added to food to increase its nutrient value.
Micronutrient — an essential nutrient required by the body in very small quantities; recommended intakes are in milligrams or micrograms.
Manufacturer — the refinery in case of refined sugar or cooking oil, the miller in case of flour or rice, or the importer in case of imported processed foods or food products, or the processor in case of other processed foods or food products.
NNC — the Governing Board of the National Nutrition Council.
Nutrient — any chemical substance needed by the body for one or more of these functions: to provide heat or energy, to build and repair tissues, and to regulate life processes. Although nutrients are found chiefly in foods, some can be synthesized in the laboratory like vitamin and mineral supplements or in the body through biosynthesis.
Nutrition Facts — a statement or information on food labels indicating the nutrient(s) and the quantity of said nutrient found or added in the processed foods or food products.
Nutrition labeling — a system of describing processed foods or food products on the basis of their selected nutrient content. It aims to provide accurate nutrition information about each food. This is printed in food labels as "Nutrition Facts".
Processed foods or food products — food that has been subjected to some degree of processing like milling, drying, concentrating, canning, or addition of some ingredients which changes partially or completely the physico-chemical and/or sensory characteristics of the food's raw material.
Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) — levels of nutrient intakes which are considered adequate to maintain health and provide reasonable levels of reserves in body tissues of nearly all healthy persons in the population.
Sangkap Pinoy Seal Program (SPSP) — a strategy to encourage food manufacturers to fortify processed foods or food products with essential nutrients at levels approved by the DOH. The fundamental concept of the program is to authorize food manufacturers to use the DOH seal of acceptance for processed foods or food products, after these products passed a set of defined criteria. The seal is a guide used by consumers in selecting nutritious foods.
Unprocessed food — food that has not undergone any treatment that results in substantial change in the original state even if it may have been divided, boned, skinned, peeled, ground, cut cleaned, trimmed, fresh-frozen or chilled.