BAGUIO CITY – The City Council approved on second reading and for publication a proposed ordinance requiring food establishments in the city to serve half cup brown rice to their customers.
The ordinance authored by Vice Mayor Edison R. Bilog stated that it is a policy of the local government to support the ‘be RICEponsible’ campaign of the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PRRI), the Department of Agriculture (DA) with the goal of making the country rice self-sufficient.
Under the said local legislative measure, all establishments offering food to the public, including food chains, are required to include brown rice or one-half cup serving of brown rice on their menu, with its corresponding half cup rice as an option for customers.
Violators of the ordinance shall be penalized a fine of P1,000 for the first offense, a fine of P3,000 for the second offense and a fine of P5,000 and cancellation of business permit for the third offense.
Memorandum Circular No. 2015-06 of the Department of the Interior and Local Government mandates the documentation of ordinances of local government units in support to the National Year of Rice and the ‘be RICEponsible’ campaign of the agriculture department.
The ordinance states the ‘Rice is Life’ theme of the International Year of Rice reflects the importance of rice as a primary food source and is drawn from an understanding that rice-based systems are essential for food security, poverty alleviation, and improved livelihood.
It added there is a need for the local legislative body to pass a measure in support of the international campaign because the Food and Nutrition Research Institute of the Department of Science and Technology data shows that each Filipino wastes an average of 3.29 kilograms of rice annually.
One of the advocacies of the agriculture department is to empower the public to patronize the use of brown rice instead of white rice to improve nutritional as brown rice is far more nutritious than white rice.
Further, children should be empowered to take in brown rice to improve their nutritional status and help naturally reduce malnutrition in the countryside.
It was learned that some establishments in the city use the unlimited serving of rice as a come-on for customers amidst the reported decline in the production of rice despite the government’s efforts in trying to achieve rice self-sufficiency in the next several years in support of rice farming which is one of the major sources of livelihood for a greater majority of people in different parts of the archipelago.
By Dexter A. See