Cebu City orders school food audit, eyes new healthy food ordinance

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu City will review food sold and promoted inside schools, requiring a 30-day interim report and a 60-day comprehensive report that could lay the groundwork for a citywide Healthy School Food Environment ordinance.

The Council passed a resolution authored by Councilor Michelle Abella-Cellona urging local health agencies, education boards, and schools to conduct the review.

The assessment will cover school canteens, food stalls, vending areas, school activities, and other food outlets within school premises. It will examine not only what schools sell but also how food gets priced, labeled, marketed, and served to learners.

What the review will check

The resolution calls for an assessment of:

• availability and affordability of healthy food choices;
• nutritional quality of food and beverages;
• food safety;
• food labeling;
• sale and marketing practices;
• access to safe drinking water;
• menu planning;
• compliance by canteen operators and concessionaires; and
• food served during school programs and official activities.

The review will also identify practical barriers that schools and canteen operators face in implementing healthier food standards.

These could include supply constraints, price differences, limited food preparation facilities, inadequate nutrition training, and the availability of locally appropriate and culturally acceptable menu choices.

Why the city wants the review

The resolution points to schools as important settings for developing lifelong eating habits because learners regularly consume meals, snacks, and beverages during school hours and school-related activities.

Moreover, it warns that regular access to and promotion of food and beverages high in sugar, salt, saturated fat, and other nutrients of concern may contribute to unhealthy dietary patterns, obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and other diet-related noncommunicable diseases.

The measure seeks to strengthen prevention by making healthier choices more accessible inside schools.

Cebu City cites Department of Education Order No. 13, Series of 2017, which established the Policy and Guidelines on Healthy Food and Beverage Choices in Schools and in DepEd Offices.

The order provides standards for evaluating, selling, and marketing food and beverages in schools and introduces a system for categorizing food and beverage choices.

The resolution also cites Republic Act No. 11037, or the Masustansyang Pagkain para sa Batang Pilipino Act, which institutionalizes the national feeding program for undernourished learners and incorporated nutrition education, school gardens, safe food preparation, and water, sanitation, and hygiene measures.

READ: Cebu City passes Food Waste Reduction ordinance

What schools may need to do

The proposed action plan calls for technical assistance and nutrition training for school administrators, canteen personnel, concessionaires, and food-service providers.

It also encourages schools to:

• promote affordable healthy meals, fruits and vegetables;
• improve access to safe drinking water;
• reduce the sale and marketing of food and beverages inconsistent with applicable healthy food standards;
• consult parents, learners, teachers, health personnel, nutritionists, and canteen operators; and
• adopt practical indicators to monitor compliance.

The resolution further proposes a voluntary recognition system for schools that demonstrate good compliance.

The DOH Region VII could provide technical guidance on nutrition standards, food safety, health promotion, monitoring tools, and capacity-building activities.

The city also wants schools to consider locally available fruits, vegetables, and other nutritious food products where practicable, both to improve affordability and support local producers and suppliers.

READ: 2 QC public schools fined for selling ‘junk food’

30-day, 60-day deadlines

The resolution sets two reporting milestones.

The 30-day interim report should identify:

• actions already undertaken;
• participating schools and stakeholders;
• initial findings; and
• implementation problems encountered.

Within 60 days, the city expects a final comprehensive report containing the review’s results, identified implementation gaps, proposed corrective measures, monitoring and evaluation mechanisms, and recommendations for further action.

The report must also determine whether Cebu City should adopt a comprehensive Healthy School Food Environment Ordinance or another appropriate local policy.

From national standards to local policy

The resolution acknowledges that national policies already provide a legal framework for healthy food standards in schools.

However, it argues that effective implementation requires regular monitoring, technical assistance, and coordination among education, health and nutrition authorities, schools, parents, learners, and food-service providers.

The city government could provide technical, health, nutrition, sanitation, and program support while respecting the administrative authority of DepEd and the autonomy of private schools under existing laws.

For Abella-Cellona, the review could therefore serve as the first step toward determining whether Cebu City needs a stronger local policy.

Rather than immediately imposing a new food ordinance, the Cebu City Council will first gather data on how existing standards work in schools, where implementation falls short, and what schools and food operators need to comply.

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