As of April 2022, it has been a legal requirement that large businesses include calorie information on menus and food labels. ‘Large businesses’, in this instance, are defined as any organisation with 250 or more employees, and includes restaurants, cafes, takeaways, and anywhere else that serves food.
Calorie information must now be displayed for all food and drink items that are prepared for customers. Although this is the new standard, you can ask for menus without the calorie information if that’s what you’d prefer.
While food laws and menu calories may seem an obvious solution to obesity in the UK, it isn’t as clear cut as you might initially think. While there are reasons that it could be beneficial, there are also plenty that suggest it won’t be. Here, we have a look at some of the pros and cons of calorie counting on restaurant and takeaway menus.
The Good Behind It
The main reason that this new law has come into place is as an attempt to tackle obesity and obesity related conditions in the UK. As it stands, two in three adults and one in three children at the end of primary school are overweight or obese in England.
It’s predicted that the new calorie law will lower strain on the NHS, as obesity related conditions currently cost £6.1 billion to the NHS annually.
Some members of the public also believe that this change has come at the right time with more people being aware of their bodies and health post-lockdown. However, for the businesses themselves, the exact opposite is true. When many are struggling to keep their doors open following the pandemic, the new requirement for labelled calories in restaurant food is yet another setback.
The Other Possible Risks
One drawback of tackling obesity by making calories clearer is that high calories does not always mean unhealthy foods. While obesity is a very real issue in the UK, calorie counting may not be the best way to target it.
For example, foods that contain whole grains and carbohydrates are high in calories, but necessary for a healthy body. Mark Selby, co-founder of Wahaca, told the BBC that calorie counting isn’t the best way to tackle health. Eating out is a ‘treat’, so this number of calories wouldn’t be consumed on a day-to-day basis.
Rather, it’s likely to encourage prioritising calorie intake over enjoyment of food to a potentially detrimental degree. A survey conducted by BEAT found that 93% of people believed the introduction of restaurant menus with calories would be negative for people with eating disorders.
Additionally, calorie labelling in restaurants has been happening in New York for a number of years now, but five to six years after it started, there was no evidence of any change in total calories purchased.
Keep up to Date on Food Laws with Label Source
There is still a full debate around what kind of impact calorie labelling will have on the wider public, and it’s too soon to see any valuable results.
In the meantime, you can comply with other food laws by keeping your establishment in its best condition with our range of kitchen signs.
You can also follow us on Twitter to keep up to date with the latest news and laws regarding labelling and signage.
