1 month ago
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MANILA, Philippines — Restaurants in Quezon City will soon revamp their menus to include calorie counts as part of the local government's rollout the first phase of its ordinance. Here are key changes to expect.
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Instead of simply listing a dish’s name, price, and sometimes its ingredients, menus must now prominently display calorie counts—measured in kilocalories (kcal)—in a font size relatively equal to that of the dish's name. Kilocalories are commonly referred to as simply "calories."
Calories will be expressed either per serving, per total servings, or per combination meal. The recommended daily calorie requirement should also be made available to consumers should they request it.
While menus are not required to indicate nutrient details such as carbohydrates, protein, total fat, trans fat, saturated fat, sugar and sodium, the ordinance mandates food establishments to provide this information through printed or digital materials.
These must be available upon request, with menus indicating that additional nutrition information can be accessed.
How the government will implement this
The Quezon City government plans to enforce the calorie labeling rule in three phases over three years. The first phase targets food establishments with at least five branches in the city. The goal is to complete this phase by December 2025.
The second phase will extend the requirement to businesses with two to four branches, including hotels regardless of their number of locations.
By the third year, all restaurants and food establishments must display the health information, except for barangay micro business enterprises (BMBEs) and micro, small or medium enterprises (MSMEs).
However, the ordinance’s recently signed implementing rules and regulations (IRR) indicate that exempted establishments voluntarily providing nutrition information such as the calorie count will be granted incentives.
These benefits include online promotion, capital assistance, packaging and labeling consultations, as well as an opportunity for capacity building and training on calorie labeling and other incentives.
The Quezon City Health Department will spearhead the ordinance's implementation, overseeing the preparation of a budget proposal that covers training for food establishments, monitoring and evaluation, public information campaigns, technical assistance, compliance and policy review.
But why monitor calorie intake?
Tracking daily calorie intake may not be a priority for many, but it helps determine whether one falls short of or exceeds healthy standards, which can raise the risk of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs).
Poor nutrition can contribute to the development of several NCDs, including diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, stroke and cancer.
In the Philippines, NCDs are the leading cause of death, a key factor cited in Quezon City's calorie labeling ordinance (SP-3254), signed in March 2024.
The ordinance said hypertension was the city’s leading cause of death in 2022, followed by cancer, heart disease and diabetes.
Caloric intake is also not determined by the weight of food or beverages consumed, but by the energy they provide, which is expressed in calories.
Some foods, especially ultra-processed ones, can be high in calories yet leave you feeling hungry still. These often lack the necessary balance of nutrients like protein, fiber and carbohydrates.
This is why people managing their weight also often monitor their calorie intake, reducing it to lose weight and increasing it to gain weight.
How many calories is considered healthy
According to the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI), daily calorie needs vary based on age and sex, with adolescents and young adults requiring the highest intake.
For males aged 19 to 29, it specifically recommends 2,530 kilocalories daily, while females in the same age group should consume 1,930 kilocalories. The requirements for each demographic can be found here.
Other than increasing consumers’ awareness of their caloric intake, there are ongoing lobbying efforts in Congress for front-of-pack warning labels (FOPWLs) on packaged goods.
If enacted, these labels would require packaged food and beverages to clearly indicate on the front if the product exceeds the recommended sugar, fat and sodium levels.
In a statement on Friday, January 31, Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte said it is crucial to empower citizens with the information they need to make informed food choices and promote healthy consumption habits.
