ICYDK: Quezon City Restaurants Will Soon Have Calorie Counts on their Menus

In an attempt to promote healthier living in Quezon City (QC), the local government has approved the “Calorie Labelling Policy,” wherein restaurants within the city will be required to add calorie and nutritional information to their menus “to help QCitizens make informed food choices.”

The city ordinance, signed on March 21 last year, will be fully implemented a year after its signing date. During the first year of its implementation, it will apply to food businesses or restaurants in QC that are part of a food chain or franchise with five or more branches across the country. In the second year, the businesses with two or more branches will be covered. Finally, in the third year, all restaurants or food businesses located in QC will be subject to the ordinance.

According to QC Mayor Joy Belmonte, the policy does not cover carinderias, hawkers, small eateries, and the like – giving consideration to small-scale business owners and ambulant vendors. However, those who will voluntarily add them will be given incentives.

The new policy aligns with the technical assistance the city received from the Partnership for Healthy Cities, which is supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO) and Vital Strategies.