New Senate bill to require restaurants to disclose nutritional information on menus

Senator Leila De Lima has passed a bill that would require restaurants to disclose the nutritional content of the dishes in their menu. Senate Bill No. 854 or the “Nutritional Information Disclosure Act” aims to address the growing rate of obesity and other improper diet issues.

Since obesity is rooted in too much caloric intake, it is important to inform consumers of such nutritional information in order to make “more informed and healthier food choices and promote health awareness and proper dieting.” This bill will also aid consumers who are monitoring their diet to keep cardiovascular diseases and diabetes at bay.

De Lima noted at the 8th National Nutrition Food Survey conducted by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute in 2013 that three out of 10 Filipinos are obese—this number could have increased by now given the changing eating habits and food preferences of Filipinos.

Under the bill, the menu shall hold each dish’s total number of calories, total number of carbohydrates (grams), total number of saturated fat (grams), total number of protein (grams), and total number of sodium (milligrams).

Food businesses operating nationally or franchises under a parent business will be subject to this bill and thus, once passed, will be obligated to indicate the nutritional information of their menus in a “clear and conspicuous manner” so that consumers will make better, healthier, and more informed food choices.

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