Healthy Public Food Procurement - Quezon city ( No. 16 S-2021)
Quenzo city, Metro Manila. phillipines.
Availability, Affordability, Vendor and Product Properties
Local
Citizens/Consumers, Public Sector
Ongoing
It aims to improve the health and nutrition of Quezon City residents, employees, and beneficiaries by ensuring that food procured with public funds meets nutrition standards; reducing risks of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) by lowering intake of sodium, free sugars, and eliminating trans fats; increasing consumption of whole, fresh fruits and vegetables; and supply local/ sustainable food production. Method: It mandates all city government offices/ departments/ institutions/ events that use public funds for food procurement to comply with QR Nutrition Standards; issuing guidelines; monitoring; encouraging suppliers from micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and urban farms; It uses tools such as a ``scorecard`` and healthy food cookbook/ reference menus; and periodic reviews of standards.
The policy was enacted on July 23, 2021. It was necessitated by rising burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in the Philippines, poor dietary patterns (high sodium, low whole grains & fruits) and the recognition that government procurement is a leverage point to promote healthier eating and sustainable food systems.
It is owned by the Office of the City Administrator; City Health Department (Nutritionist & Dietitians), it assess compliance and are responsible for reviewing & updating the QC Nutrition Standards every three years. It is monitored by using tools such as scorecard to access food procured; departments inspect food deliveries; monitoring desirable metrics (e.g., how much procured food is ``whole food`` etc.); training of stakeholders; and regular evaluation.
All cities government departments / institutions are required to follow QC Nutrition Standards when procuring food with public funds. They were provided with tools such as healthy food cookbook, sample cycle menus, directory of local farms for sourcing produce. Use of scorecards to assess procurement compliance. Suppliers were encouraged to be local MSMEs/ urban farms. Results: About 60% of food procured by the city government since July 2023 were ``whole food``. The policy has been recognized by national agencies for its leadership. However, some department still need capacity or resources to shift suppliers, cost issues for sourcing whole fresh local produce; some vendors might not meet standard or lack supply chain readiness.