Manila: Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. on Thursday emphasized the necessity of enforcing tighter measures to maintain stable food prices in the Philippines. This announcement comes as the nation experiences a sharp easing in food inflation for January. According to Philippines News Agency, the country's food inflation decelerated to 0.7 percent last month, a marked improvement from 1.2 percent in December and significantly lower than the 4 percent recorded during the same period last year. Despite the positive trend, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) cautioned that potential pressures in certain food categories could reverse these gains. Tiu Laurel underscored that there is "no room for complacency" and highlighted the importance of stringent management of the country's food supply in the forthcoming months. "We are looking very closely at how we manage food supply, from production to imports and distribution, because any slippage can quickly translate into higher prices that hurt co nsumers and weigh on overall economic activity," he stated. The decline in food costs is still considered fragile, as noted by Tiu Laurel. Key contributors to the reduction in food prices this January included vegetables, tubers, plantains, cooking bananas, and pulses, which saw a year-on-year decrease to 3.3 percent from 11.6 percent in December 2025. For rice, the Department of Agriculture's maximum suggested retail price (MSRP) for 5 percent broken imported rice played a significant role in the slower food inflation, reaching 3.4 percent compared to 8.5 percent in January 2025. The MSRP for this category of rice is set at PHP43 per kilo. Other commodities such as corn, meat, fish and seafood, and oils and fats also experienced slower price increases. Despite these encouraging numbers, Tiu Laurel cautioned against complacency, noting that some food items like bread and bakery products, dairy and eggs, fruits and nuts, and ready-made food are showing upward price pressures, indicating potential risks in t he market.