QC restaurants to show calorie counts

ALL restaurants and similar establishments based in Quezon City will soon be required to indicate calorie counts of food items on THEIR MENUS, MAYOR MARIA JOSEFINA “JOY” BELMONTE said Friday.

Belmonte told The Manila Times that the compulsory calorie labeling was the result of an ordinance unanimously passed by the Sangguniang Panglunsod (city council) in a bid to help “QCitizens” make informed food choices.

“With calorie labeling, QCitizens would have the power to make healthier food choices because they have the correct information,” she said.

Meanwhile, “carinderia” (small eatery) owners should not worry about the policy because they are not covered by it, the mayor said.

But if they will take effort in putting calorie counts in their menus, they will get incentives from the city government, she added.

Citing data from the Quezon City Health Department, the mayor said that nearly one in five adult city residents have high blood pressure.

In 2018 alone, 19.9 percent of school-age children and 43 percent of adults were found to be overweight and obese.

To address this, Belmonte said her administration has committed to building a food environment that will improve the overall health of its residents as part of its work with the Partnership for Healthy Cities.

It is a prestigious global network of 73 cities committed to save lives by preventing noncommunicable diseases and injuries through the delivery of high-impact policy or programmatic interventions in their communities.

Lawyer Sophia San Luis, ImagineLaw executive director, hailed the “groundbreaking initiative” of Belmonte and the city government.

“This is the first of its kind in the country and as a pioneer in calorielabeling, we hope that QC inspires more cities and municipalities to do the same,” San Luis said.

In the first year of its implementation, the ordinance will cover local restaurants or food businesses that are part of a food chain or franchise with five or more branches in the country.

In the second year, it will cover the same businesses with two or more branches and in the third year, it will cover all restaurants or food businesses.

Barangay micro businesses, and micro, small and medium enterprises, including ambulant vendors, hawkers, and carinderia owners, are exempted from the ordinance.

“This initiative underscores Quezon City’s commitment to prioritizing public health and fostering environments that promote informed decision-making when it comes to dietary choices,” the city chief executive said.

For the penalty, upon issuance of first notice and a fine of P1,000 await a violator for the first offense while for the second offense, a fine of P2,000 while the owner, president, general manager or other persons in charge or officers shall undergo training on proper compliance.

For the third offense, a violator will be penalized with P3,000 and the issuance of a cease and desist order while for the fourth and subsequent offenses, a fine of P5,000 and revocation of the business permit.