Earlier, Department of Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa proposed banning mukbang videos in the Philippines. This follows the death of popular mukbang vlogger Dongz Apatan on June 14 from a stroke. Apatan had posted a video of himself eating a large amount of fried chicken the day before he suffered the stroke, which is believed to have led him to a coma and ultimately his passing.
In line with this, Herbosa mentioned how mukbang promotes overeating, thereby increasing the risk of obesity and subsequently putting people at higher risk for noncommunicable diseases, hypertension, and heart attacks.
Currently, the Department of Health (DOH) is investigating whether Apatan’s mukbang activities contributed to his death. While studying the impact of these videos on creators’ and viewers’ eating habits, the DOH is still reconsidering the ban on mukbang videos in the Philippines.
DOH spokesperson and Assistant Secretary Albert Domingo mentioned in an interview that they aim to regulate mukbang videos without compromising content creators’ rights to freedom of speech and expression.
โFirst, we have to resolve what makes a particular mukbang broadcast a threat to public health, because the video may just be a form of self-expression. We have to make sure that our policy will be airtight so that it will not be challenged before the courts should we implement this ban,โ Domingo explained.
According to Domingo, DOH also looked into why Filipinos are drawn to watching mukbang videos. “Based on our preliminary research, some international analysts say mukbang videos become viral because they resolve the loneliness of some people. Watching mukbang makes people feel they are sharing food with other people,โ he told Mariz Umali on Unang Balita.
Additionally, the DOH encourages content creators to prioritize food-related content that aligns with its “Pinggang Pinoy” food guide, advocating healthier eating habits instead of promoting excessive consumption as often seen in mukbang videos.
The “Pinggang Pinoy” food guide is developed by the Department of Science and Technology’s Food and Nutrition Research Institute (DOST-FNRI), illustrating the recommended proportions by food group in each meal to fulfill the body’s energy and nutrient requirements using a food plate model.
โIt can actually be a Filipino version using Pinggang Pinoy, and they will still be able to talk with their audience,” Domingo suggested. “Maybe thatโs the way forward.”
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