QC restos now required to offer half servings of rice at half the price

MANILA, Philippines—It’s official. Half-cup rice serving must also be available in restaurants.

A measure requiring restaurants and eateries in Quezon City to include a half order of rice with exactly half the price of a full serving on their menu has been signed into law recently.

A copy of the “Half-Cup Rice Ordinance,” signed by Mayor Herbert Bautista on July 9 and released last week, is to be posted in food establishments together with the message “Eat your rice right and save lives.”

Councilor Allan Butch Francisco introduced the measure to support the campaign of the International Rice Research Institute to reduce rice wastage at the consumer level.

The ordinance cited data from the Department of Science and Technology’s Food and Nutrition Research Institute that each Filipino wastes an average of three tablespoons of rice daily or 3.3 kilos per year.

The International Rice Research Institute said the losses translate to P8 billion a year, enough to feed 4.3 million people.

The ordinance covers all food establishments in Quezon City, including fast-food chains, food courts, caterers, and canteens in schools and hospitals.

A written warning will be issued by the city’s business permits and licensing office for the first offense. The second offense will be fined P1,000 and the third offense will be fined P2,000 and one-month suspension of license to operate.

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