Quezon City to enforce calorie labeling policy for food industry 

Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte signed on Thursday the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of an ordinance, requiring food establishments citywide to put calorie information on their menus starting December 20, 2025.At a media briefing, Belmonte said the one-year grace period was given to all businesses covered in the said policy, so they can adjust accordingly as the local government prepares to strictly implement the measure. “This is a holistic approach,” she said.- Advertisement -The IRR sets a clear timeline and guidelines for the food establishments to comply with the order.  Schools, barangays, and other stakeholders—including the city government itself—are expected to obey the ordinance once it is rolled out in public later this year.Belmonte said they already launched a massive information drive to heighten public awareness about the importance of knowing how much calorie they consume in every dish served by their local restaurant.“We are empowering our QCitizens to [make] informed decisions about their health,” the mayor said. The initiative underscored the city government’s commitment to improve public health and save lives through the prevention of non-communicable diseases.On March 21, 2024, the city council passed the ordinance, the first ever in the country. Belmonte said the food business must be part of the solution, and not of the problem in addressing the health concerns of QCitizens.An imbalance in calorie intake is a serious matter, according to Quezon City Health Department officer-in-charge Dr. Ramona Asuncion Abarquez.The measure imposes a P1,000 fine for first offense; P2,000 for second offense; P3,000 for third offense; and P5,000 for fourth or succeeding offenses until the revocation of the company’s business permit.