QC may soon require restaurants to show food calorie count on menus

Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte (4th from right) and ImagineLaw Executive Director Sophia San Luis on Friday, May 5, 2023, sign a partnership to explore mechanisms to include food calorie count on menus of restaurants and other food establishments in the city. Also in the picture is Quezon City’ Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability Department head Andrea Andres-Villaroman (third from right). Photo from ImagineLaw

MANILA, Philippines — Restaurants and other food establishments in Quezon City may soon have to show on their menus the number of calories that each serving of their food contains.

Public interest law group ImagineLaw said this Saturday, following its signing of an agreement with the Quezon City government for the exploration of mechanisms to require calorie labeling of food in businesses serving food and drinks.

“The agreement will develop a new policy that will require restaurants, fast food chains, and other food establishments operating within the city to publish the amount of calories per serving of the food items on their menu,” it said in a statement.

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The group said its partnership with the Quezon City government will help promote healthy food choices for the public.

It added that a policy on food calorie count label can be manifested through an ordinance or an executive order by the local government unit.

“This initiative by the Quezon City Government will help Quezon City residents or QCitizens make informed choices about the food that they eat,” said ImagineLaw Executive Director Sophia San Luis. “We want to empower people to eat nutritious foods even when they are eating out.”

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