‘Pagpag food’ to be banned in the city

October 14, 2017 Opinion Sideglance

Citing a declared policy of the State to establish and maintain an effective food regulatory system to address the need of every Filipino particularly those in the marginalized sector or those living below the poverty line, City Councilor Leandro Yangot filed a proposed regulatory measure that would prohibit all supermarkets, food chains and other similar establishments from throwing away and spoiling unsold food.

Under the said proposed ordinance it shall become unlawful for any supermarket, food chain and other similar types of establishments to simply throw away and spoil leftover food even as the alderman noted that there has been an increase in the spread of so called ‘Pagpag food’ linked to extreme hunger and that food waste has become a serious issue in the country with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) observing that “the rate of Filipino children under 5 years who are stunted in 2013 is pegged at 30.3% and around 13.9 million Filipinos were found undernourished in the years 2014 to 2016.

It is also revealed in the said proposed ordinance that “the latest Food Consumption Survey (FCS) by the Nutrition Research Institute in 2013 showed that 69.4% or 7 out of 10 Filipino households do not meet their dietary energy requirement. The average daily individual food intake comprised mostly of rice, fish and vegetables. In rice for instance, every Filipino wastes an average of 3.3 kg yearly which translates to 296,869 metric tons of rice amounting to 7.3 billion pesos.

Councilor Yangot also clarified in his proposed measure that his proposal does not seek to completely address food waste but is aimed at making a difference and initiate further awareness in addressing food waste and health risks derived from spoiled food.

‘Pagpag food’ as ordinarily understood and as explained in the said proposed ordinance refers to leftover food from restaurants, supermarkets and other food dispensary outlets which includes expired frozen meat, fish or vegetables that are discarded by these establishments and which is later on scavenged from garbage bins. Councilor Yangot then further explained that “it is worthy to note that zero waste management be understood by these establishments as a viable solution in stopping the proliferation of “pagpag food”.

As provided for in the said proposed regulatory measure any person, natural or juridical, who shall violate the provisions of the ordinance shall suffer the penalty of a fine ranging from one thousand pesos to five thousand pesos depending on the amount discarded or thrown away as spoiled unsold food. Relative to this, the Department of Trade and Industry in coordination with the City Health Services shall promulgate the rules and regulations for the effective implementation of the said proposed legislative measure and shall strictly monitor its implementation.