Restaurant menus to calorie information under Government plans
Reported January 14, 2009
A new calorie labelling scheme to help diners watch what they eat in restaurants and other food outlets is being launched by the Government.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) wants to see more consistent information made available to people eating out, and is in talks with a number of companies which will adopt the scheme later this year.
Under the plans, calorie information will be printed on menus and other materials visible where customers order their food.
An FSA survey found 85 per cent of people thought restaurants, cafés and pubs had a responsibility to make clear what is in the food they serve, and 80 per cent said the information would be most useful at the point where they chose what to eat.
Tim Smith, the FSA’s chief executive, said: “We’re used to seeing nutrition information when we’re shopping and there is no compelling reason why we shouldn’t have more consistent information about nutrition when we eat out.
“Providing calorie information is supported by our consumer research and intuitively feels right too – this is the first and simplest step and can only be a good thing for all consumers.”
The Government hopes schemes like this will encourage the food industry to support healthy eating among the public.
Last November the Government published healthy eating commitments from six of the UK’s largest high street restaurant chains – Burger King, KFC, McDonald’s, Nando’s, Subway and Wimpy.