Restaurants required to serve half-cup rice

CEBU, Philippines - A Mandaue City councilor is pushing for a measure that will require food establishments to serve one-half cup of rice to customers.

Councilor Jimmy Lumapas yesterday endorsed to the City Council a draft ordinance that seeks to include one-half cup of rice on the regular menu of Mandaue City's restaurants.

Apart from including it on the menu, the ordinance also wants to make half-cup rice as the default serving.

According to Lumapas, his proposal was in consonance with "Be RICEponsible," a campaign of the Department of Agriculture and Philippine Rice Research Institute that aims to prevent rice wastage.

Citing 2008 data from the Food and Nutrition Research Institute, the draft ordinance said Filipinos waste an average of two tablespoons of cooked rice or nine grams of uncooked rice daily.

Lumapas believes the availability of one-half rice servings would minimize wastage, especially in the food service industry.

If the ordinance passes on third and final reading, one-half cup of rice will become the default serving for plated or packed meals during caterings in all of Mandaue City's commercial establishments involving food preparation.

The proposed ordinance covers restaurants, schools, offices, hospitals and fastfood chains.

These businesses are also enjoined to offer one-half cup of rice in their combo meals to options to customers.

Food service providers found violating the ordinance will be subjected to administrative penalty of P2,000 for the first offense; P3,000 and one month suspension of business license or permit to operate for second offense; and a penalty of P5,000 and permanent cancellation of permit on third offense.

Meanwhile, Lumapas also endorsed a separate resolution to the council urging food establishments to offer brown rice as daily part of their regular and special menu.

Lumapas said research shows brown rice is nutritionally superior than white rice.

Brown rice or unpolished rice could help reduce the incidence of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases and could lower blood pressure.

This as brown rice has higher milling recovery than white rice and could therefore help in the attainment of rice self-sufficiency, the resolution of Lumapas read.  (FREEMAN)