Mayor Joy wants QC restos to include calorie count in their menus

Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte has signed the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) on the city's calorie labeling ordinance that will soon require restaurants operating in Quezon City to display the calorie count of food items in their menus.

Under the ordinance, food establishments with five or more branches in Quezon City must display calorie counts in their menus as part of the first phase of implementation starting in December this year.

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

“Sa pamamagitan ng hakbang na ito, mas magiging empowered na ang ating mga residente dahil kapag may calorie count labels na sa mga menu ng mga restaurant, may kapangyarihan ang QCitizen na pumili ng masustansyang pagkain. Dahil sa tamang impormasyon, maisusulong din natin ang isang lungsod na prayoridad ang pangangalaga sa kalusugan (With this step, our residents will be more empowered. When calorie labels are available in restaurant menus, QCitizens will have the power to choose healthier food options. With the right information, we can also promote a city that prioritizes health and nutrition),” Belmonte said. 

During the signing event, Quezon City Health Department head Dr. Ramona Asuncion DG Abarquez explained that covered food businesses must disclose the calorie content of their standard menu items in both printed and electronic menu boards.

“There will be three phases of implementation. In the first year, the ordinance will cover restaurants with five or more branches in Quezon City. In the second year, it will cover  restaurants with two or more branches. Then in the third year, it will cover all food businesses in QC,” she said.

As authors of the ordinance, QC Councilors Bernard Herrera, Irene Belmonte, Aly Medalla, Banjo Pilar, and Ram Medalla assured that the local government will support food businesses by providing adequate training and guidance on calorie and nutrient calculation tools, as well as in the design of calorie labels on menu boards.

Food business representatives and civil society organizations such as ImagineLaw were present at the media briefing, where they expressed support for the initiative.

The effort is part of Quezon City’s collaboration with the Partnership for Healthy Cities, a global network of 74 cities committed to saving lives by preventing noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and injuries.

“Quezon City has proven time and again that through innovative strategies and collaborative efforts, it is possible to tackle the problem of non-communicable diseases," Partnership for Healthy Cities at Vital Strategies Senior Manager Farhad Ali said.