Makati Workshop Aims to Redesign Clearer Front-of-Pack Food Labels
A workshop on designing clear and helpful front-of-pack food labels will take place on May 8, 2025, in Makati City. Hosted by Mondelēz International and another company, the event aims to bring together experts in design, marketing, and health advocacy. The session will focus on improving how nutritional information is communicated to consumers.
The event, titled Think Tank for Effective Front-of-Pack Labels, will be held at the Odd Cafe. Graphic designers, marketers, health advocates, and industry leaders will collaborate on creating and evaluating new labelling ideas. Matt Kovac, CEO of Food Industry Asia (FIA), will open the workshop virtually.
Front-of-pack labels provide a quick overview of a product's nutritional content, helping shoppers compare options and manage dietary choices. Different label types serve distinct purposes. GDA (Guideline Daily Amount) labels display key nutrients—calories, sugars, fats, saturated fats, and salt—alongside their percentage of daily intake. Nutri-Grade or Nutri-Score systems use letters or colours to rank overall nutritional quality. Meanwhile, warning labels feature bold symbols, such as black stop signs, to highlight high levels of sugar, salt, or fat. Each approach has its own advantages, but all aim to simplify decision-making for consumers. The workshop will explore how these designs can be made more effective in real-world settings.
The workshop will encourage collaboration between professionals from different fields to refine label designs. The goal is to develop clearer, more user-friendly nutritional information for food packaging. No specific guidelines for the Philippines or Southeast Asia have yet been established through this initiative.
