For Filipino families, eating better is not simply a matter of knowing which foods are nutritious. Price, availability, convenience, and understanding how food fits into everyday meals can all influence what ends up on the table.
That is the issue Monde Nissin Corporation is seeking to address with Better Food Forward (BFF), a new nutrition advocacy that brings together product development, nutrition education, and partnerships with government, academe, communities, and industry stakeholders.
The company introduced the initiative during “The Better Food Conversation: Nourishment on Every Filipino Plate” in Manila, where nutrition professionals, community advocates, government representatives, and industry stakeholders discussed the practical barriers that shape Filipino food choices.
The launch comes against a backdrop of persistent nutrition challenges in the Philippines. The Department of Science and Technology’s Food and Nutrition Research Institute (DOST-FNRI) reported that 31.4% of Filipino households experienced moderate to severe food insecurity in the 2023 National Nutrition Survey. The same survey found that 23.6% of children under five were stunted, while 5.6% experienced wasting.
Why is Better Food Forward focusing on access, not just awareness?
Nutrition education is important, but information alone does not guarantee that families can act on it.
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) describes a healthy diet in terms that go beyond the availability of food. Affordability and access are also critical considerations, while nutrition education works best when paired with efforts that improve the food environment.
This distinction is important for businesses in the food sector. A consumer may understand the value of a balanced meal but still have to make decisions based on a household budget, what is available in the neighborhood, preparation time, and the eating habits of the family.
That makes food companies part of a much larger conversation about nutrition.
At Monde Nissin’s forum, Kevin Carpio, the company’s Nutrition Advocacy Manager, highlighted affordability, availability, and practical understanding as factors affecting food choices.
Registered nutritionist-dietitian Jo Sebastian similarly emphasized an approach centered on adding nutritious ingredients rather than relying solely on restrictions. One example discussed was adding vegetables and an egg to instant noodles to increase the nutritional value of a familiar meal.
The underlying idea is straightforward: healthier eating has a better chance of becoming a lasting habit when recommendations can be applied to real household routines.
What is Better Food Forward?
Better Food Forward is Monde Nissin’s nutrition advocacy built around three areas: Products, Programs, and Partnerships.
The company says the initiative is intended to guide improvements in its food portfolio, provide practical nutrition education, and build collaborations that can contribute to healthier food environments.
Rather than treating nutrition as a single product-development issue, the framework places product innovation alongside consumer education and stakeholder collaboration.
That approach mirrors a broader understanding of food systems. FAO recommendations on healthy diets call for cooperation among governments, the private sector, communities, and other stakeholders to improve the availability, accessibility, affordability, and convenience of nutritious food.
What is Monde Nissin changing in its products?
Product reformulation is one of the most tangible components of Better Food Forward.
According to Monde Nissin, 73% of its revenue currently comes from fortified products, 32% of its products have reduced sodium, and its portfolio is free from trans fats.
The company also reported that its products delivered approximately 2 billion servings of Vitamin A, 3 billion servings of iron, and 542 million servings of Vitamin C to Filipino consumers in 2025.
These figures are company-reported measures and are best understood as indicators of the scale of its existing portfolio rather than measurements of the overall nutritional status of Filipino consumers.
Monde Nissin also introduced its Monde Nissin Nutrition Criteria, an internal science-based framework intended to guide product innovation and renovation. The company says the framework will support its goal of expanding its healthier-product portfolio through 2030.
Among the initiatives cited by the company are sodium reduction in selected products, food fortification, and proprietary air-fried noodle technology designed to reduce fat and calories.
For a large food manufacturer, these changes matter because product reformulation can affect nutrition at scale. Unlike nutrition advice that depends on individual behavior, changes made during product development can potentially reach consumers through products they already purchase.
How does the initiative fit into the wider nutrition landscape?
The Philippines already has established national nutrition guidance.
The country’s food-based dietary guidelines, developed through an interagency and multidisciplinary process led by DOST-FNRI and approved by the National Nutrition Council, encourage people to eat a variety of foods, consume more fruits and vegetables, choose sources of protein and calcium, and limit excessive intake of salty, fried, fatty, and sugar-rich foods.
The challenge is turning those recommendations into everyday behavior.
DOST-FNRI has also identified inadequate fruit and vegetable consumption as a concern among Filipinos. Its reporting on the 2021 Expanded National Nutrition Survey noted that Filipino adults consumed relatively small amounts of vegetables and fruit compared with international recommendations.
This is where initiatives involving food manufacturers can become relevant. Companies have access to product development capabilities, distribution networks, consumer research, and communication channels that government and health organizations may not possess in the same way.
At the same time, partnerships need credible nutrition standards and measurable outcomes to ensure that advocacy translates into meaningful improvements rather than simply becoming another marketing platform.
Who is involved in Better Food Forward?
Monde Nissin’s launch brought together representatives from several parts of the Philippine nutrition and food ecosystem.
The panel included Dr. Clarissa Juanico, President of the Philippine Stakeholders for Nutrition and Dietetics; Cloyd Masaudling, Executive Director of Aguhon Movement for Governance; Jo Sebastian, registered nutritionist-dietitian and content creator; and Atty. Olive Misa, Head of Corporate and Government Affairs at Monde Nissin.
Representatives from government, nutrition organizations, academia, and other stakeholder groups also attended, including the Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Agriculture, DOST-FNRI, Philippine Association of Nutrition, Nutritionist Dietitians' Association of the Philippines Foundation, Scaling Up Nutrition Business Network, and University of the Philippines Los Baños.
The breadth of participation reflects an important reality: nutrition is not controlled by one sector.
Agriculture affects food supply. Government policies influence affordability and access. Food manufacturers influence what products are available. Nutrition professionals provide evidence-based guidance, while communities determine how food recommendations are actually adopted at home.
What could Better Food Forward mean for the food industry?
For Monde Nissin, the initiative creates a framework for connecting business decisions with nutrition objectives.
For the wider food industry, it also highlights a shift in how companies can approach nutrition. Instead of focusing exclusively on launching products marketed as healthier, businesses can examine the entire consumer journey: what people can afford, what they can find, what they understand, and how easily a product fits into their existing meals.
That distinction could become increasingly important as consumers face competing demands for convenience, affordability, taste, and nutrition.
Better Food Forward is therefore worth watching not simply as a new corporate advocacy, but as a test of how a major food manufacturer can turn nutrition commitments into measurable changes across products, programs, and partnerships.
Monde Nissin describes the initiative as a long-term effort rather than a one-time campaign. Its eventual impact will depend on how consistently the company applies its nutrition criteria, measures progress, communicates evidence, and works with independent stakeholders.
The bigger question is not whether Filipino consumers need better nutrition information. It is whether the food system can make better choices practical and accessible in everyday life. Better Food Forward puts Monde Nissin’s answer to that question into motion, with its progress likely to be measured not by the launch itself, but by what changes follow.
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