REQUIRING food outlets in Cebu to offer a half cup of rice in their menus would require province-wide level consultations to make it a reality, Provincial Board (PB) Member Alex Binghay said.
“We need to know the sentiments of the mayors. When we pass an ordinance in the Provincial Board, it will encompass all of the local government units in the province,” he told Cebu Daily News by phone yesterday.
Sta. Fe town in Bantayan Island passed an ordinance early this year requiring food outlets in their area to include a half cup of rice in their menus.
“Rice is wasted when too much is cooked and served, but is not consumed,” Councilor Jayson Repaso, who authored the ordinance, said.
The ordinance covers all business establishments or companies responsible for any meal prepared outside the home such as restaurants, fast food chains, bars and resorts, hotels, inns, pension houses, school and hospital canteens, eateries and other food catering businesses.
According to the Sta. Fe ordinance, one half cup refers to 80 grams of rice priced at exactly half of the cost of a one-cup serving.
First-time violators will be fined P500 and a three-day suspension of their business permit; P1,000 and seven-day suspension on the second offense; and P2,000 and one-month suspension on the third offense.
While the Cebu City Council passed a similar ordinance in November 2014, Binghay said Sta. Fe is the first town to enact this ordinance within Cebu province.