Mandates half-cup rice in Quezon City meals

The ordinance requires the food service industry to help prevent rice wastage by shifting default rice servings to a smaller quantity.
The ordinance bases its requirement on the campaign “Eat Your Rice Right and Save Lives” aimed at reducing rice waste.
The ordinance finds that evidence shows availability of half cup or half order servings minimizes wastage, especially within the food service industry.

Food Service Industry refers to businesses, institutions, and companies responsible for any meal prepared outside the home, including restaurants, fast food chains, schools, catering operations, office and hospital cafeterias, and food courts operating within the territorial jurisdiction of Quezon City.
Half Cup and/or Order of Rice means one-half of 158 grams/cup or roughly 80 grams per order.
Default Serving means the preset selection of food/meal combinations offered by food service providers that will always be followed except when altered (examples include value meal, student meal, combo meal, economy meal, and the like).

The ordinance requires all businesses, institutions, and companies responsible for meals prepared outside the home operating within Quezon City to comply with the rice default-serving requirement.
Covered establishments include restaurants, fast food chains, schools and hospital eateries, food courts, and catering business operating within Quezon City.
The requirement applies to the provider’s default serving of rice offered in the regular menu.
The ordinance requires the default serving to be set at exactly half that of one (1) cup and/or order of rice.
The ordinance requires the price of the half-cup and/or half-order rice in the default serving to be set at exactly half of that one (1) cup and/order of rice menu price.

Every covered food service provider must include half (1/2) cup and/or order of cooked rice in one of its default servings offered through its regular menu.
The default rice serving must be exactly half of one (1) cup and/or order of rice.
The corresponding rice price in the regular menu must be exactly half of the price for one (1) cup and/or order of rice.

Upon approval, the City Mayor, with recommendation from the City Health Officer, must issue appropriate rules and regulations to ensure proper implementation.
Food service providers must post in their establishments the new default serving with its corresponding price tag.
Food service providers must also post a copy of the ordinance with the message “Eat Your Rice Right and Save Lives.”

A covered food service provider that violates the ordinance is penalized based on the number of offenses.
For a first offense, the penalty is a written warning/reprimand from the City’s Business Permits and Licensing Office.
For a second offense, the penalty is a Fine of One Thousand Pesos (P1,000.00).
For a third offense, the penalty is a Fine of Two Thousand Pesos (P2,000.00) and one (1) month suspension of license or permit to operate.

The ordinance takes effect upon its approval of the City Council under Section 6.