Republic of the Philippines 
House of Representatives 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
House Bill No. _______ 
INTRODUCED BY REP. PM VARGAS 
AN ACT 
MANDATING THE DISPLAY OF NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION ON THE 
MENU OF FOOD ESTABLISHMENTS 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
Good nutrition has been attributed to healthier food choices and 
generally, healthier diet. The presence of nutritional information on the food 
labels helps people maintain their healthy diet and nutrition because of 
informed choices. This in turn, helps prevent the rise of various diseases 
attributed to an unhealthy diet. 
The World Health Organization indicates that 80 percent of premature 
heart disease, stroke, and Type II Diabetes and 40 percent of cancers can be 
prevented through a healthy diet. Thus, consumers have now become more 
discerning in their choice of food, always checking the nutritional information 
and calorie count in food labels. Filipinos, however, are not as informed when 
dining in restaurants. They are often unaware of the calorie and nutritional 
content of a meal, leading them or misleading them into an unhealthy eating 
pattern. 
This bill aims to mandate the disclosure and display of the nutrition 
content information on each standard menu in all types of restaurants, 
including fast food chains, in order to enable and empower consumers with 
the right to choose the food they want to eat without compromising their 
health. 
In view of the foregoing, the passage of this bill is earnestly sought. 
REP. PM VARGAS   
Fifth District, Quezon City 
August 8, 2022
5:34 pm
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Republic of the Philippines 
House of Representatives 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
House Bill No. _______ 
INTRODUCED BY REP. PM VARGAS 
AN ACT 
MANDATING THE DISPLAY OF NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION ON THE 
MENU OF FOOD ESTABLISHMENTS 
Be it enacted the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the "Nutrition 
Information Act”. 
SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. - It is hereby declared the policy of the 
State to protect and promote the right of the people to good health. Towards 
this end, the State hereby mandates the disclosure and display of the 
nutrition content information of food on the menus and menu boards of 
restaurants and fast-food chain establishments to help Filipinos make 
healthier food choices. 
SECTION 3. Definition of Terms. - As used in this Act, the following terms 
shall mean: 
(a) Food establishment - any food retail establishment that is part of an
affiliation of ten (10) or more food retail establishments, doing business
under the same name, regardless of its type of ownership, and selling
substantially the same menu items in standard content and portion
servings.
(b) Food items - a unit serving of a ready-to-eat food or beverage for sale in
a restaurant or food retail establishments.
(c) Food-on-display - food offered for sale that is visible to a customer
before making a selection and needs no further preparation before
consumption.
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(d) Standard menu item - many individual food items or combination of 
food items that is routinely listed on a menu or menu board, or routinely 
offered for sale by a restaurant or fast-food chain establishment. 
 
(e) Menu - a printed list or pictorial display of food items or combination of 
food items and their prices posted in and visible within a fast-food chain 
as defined in this Act, including menus distributed or provided outside 
of the establishment. 
 
(f) Menu board - any list or pictorial display of food items and their prices 
posted in and visible within or outside a fast-food chain as defined in 
this Act, including drive thru menu boards. 
 
(g) Self-service food - food and beverages that the consumers serve 
themselves, including food offered for sale at a salad bar, buffet line, 
cafeteria line, or similar self-service facility. 
 
SECTION 4. Disclosure of Nutrition Information. - All food establishments, 
as defined in this Act, are hereby required to disclose, and display the nutrient 
content information of each standard menu item on their menus and menu 
boards as usually prepared and sold to the public. Food establishments 
offering self-service food and food on-display, the nutrient content information 
per item or serving shall be posted on a sign adjacent to such food. 
 
The nutrition information shall indicate the amount of each of the following: 
 
(a) Total fat; 
(b) Saturated fat; 
(c) Cholesterol; 
(d) Sodium; 
(e) Total carbohydrates;  
(f) Complex; carbohydrates; 
(g) Sugars; 
(h) Dietary fiber; and  
(i) Total Protein. 
 
Disclosure and display of nutrition information shall not apply to custom 
orders on food that is part of a customary market test or temporary menu 
items. 
 
SECTION 5. Calorie Content. - The disclosure of nutrition content 
information by food establishments, as required in the preceding section, 
shall indicate the calories contained in a standard menu item to the nearest 
five-calorie increment up to and including fifty (50) calories, to the nearest 
ten-calorie increment above fifty (50) calories. 
 
For foods that have fewer than five (5) calories, the declaration may be 
expressed as zero (0). 
 


SECTION 6. Disclosure Compliance Certificate. - As an additional 
requirement for their operation within six (6) months from the effectivity of 
this Act, food establishments are hereby directed to apply for and secure a 
Nutrition Disclosure Compliance Certificate (NDCC) from the Department of 
Health (DOH). The NDCC issued by the DOH shall be valid for two (2) years 
from the date of issuance and may be renewed at least thirty (30) days before 
its expiration. The DOH may refuse to renew the NDCC of any restaurant or 
fast-food chain establishment found to be in violation of this Act. 
 
Failure of any restaurant of fast-food chain establishment to secure a NDCC 
shall be a ground for the suspension or revocation of its license to operate. 
 
SECTION 7. Penalties. - A fine of not less than twenty thousand pesos (PHP 
20,000) but not more than one hundred thousand pesos (PHP 100,000) shall 
be imposed upon any person operating a food establishment found to have 
failed to comply with the mandatory nutrition information regarding the 
number of calories or nutrients contained in their standard menu items. 
 
SECTION 8. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - Within sixty (60) days 
from the effectivity of this Act, DOH shall promulgate the necessary rules and 
regulations for the effective implementation of this Act. 
 
SECTION 9. Separability Clause. - Should any provision herein be declared 
unconstitutional, the same shall not affect the validity of the other provisions 
of this Act. 
 
SECTION 10. Repealing Clause - All laws, decrees, orders, rules, and 
regulations or other issuances or parts inconsistent with the provisions of this 
Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly. 
 
SECTION 11. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after 
publication in the Official Gazette or in any two (2) newspapers of general 
circulation in the Philippines. 
 
Approved,