Senate Bill 854 or the “Nutritional Information Disclosure Act of 2019” filed by Senator Leila de Lima seeks to address obesity problems and improper nutrition among Filipinos by requiring food establishments to disclose “caloric and nutritional information in their menus.”
Under the bill, calorie content information must be displayed adjacent to the standard menu item in a “clear and conspicuous manner.”
Covered food service establishments will be obligated to disclose information on a brochure made available to customers before placing their orders. For food ordered online, the same information must also be displayed.
Self-service food facilities such as salad bars, buffet lines, cafeteria lines, and the like must also put a sign that lists calories per displayed food item per serving.
The bill also covers drive-thru services of food establishments to disclose nutritional information. Displayed signs of: “Nutrition information is available upon request” must be in sight.
Under the bill, violators of these regulations will be fined P100,000 to P1,000,000 and may face suspension of business operations of covered food establishments.
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Writer: BEA NICOLE AMARILLE
