Assumption College Davao: Free from junk food since '80s

MANILA, Philippines – Assumption College in Davao City has been a junk food-free zone since the mid-1980s, a stance that has caught the attention of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP). In a statement posted at the CBCP website (www.cbcpnews.com), Assumption president Sister Marietta Banayo explained why the school has stuck to that policy: "We want to introduce in the minds of our students the significance of patronizing our local products as well as eating our native delicacies. ACD is likely the only campus in Mindanao and it is certainly the only one in Davao and maybe one of a very few in the entire country that is junk food free." She said the school decided that its main disagreement with junk food centered on its lack of nutritional value; the political and economic implications of patronizing foreign products; and the ecological hazards of synthetic packaging. The school totally pulled out all multi-national products in 1993, particularly products high in sugar, salt, and fat content and low in nutritional value. Soft drinks and even juice in tetra packs were similarly banned from the school premises, the CBCP said. - GMANews.TV