Calorific transparency on menus planned by government

The government has set out its intention for catering businesses to include details of the calorific content of the food choices they offer. Takeaways, cafes, restaurants and pubs will have to clearly display this information. Still under review are the finer details such as which businesses and products will be affected and exactly what will need to be displayed. Other questions still to be addressed are where this information should be displayed and if there are any problems stopping businesses from achieving this, how they can be overcome.
Cornell University found in a recent study that we generally opt for healthier choices if we are aware of the calories in our food, and that faced with a menu with calorific information on it, we reduce our calorific consumption by 3%. Study author Professor John Cawley said: “Even if you’re an educated person who eats out a lot and is aware of nutrition, there can still be surprising things in these calorie counts. It’s clear that people value this information. It’s a cheap policy to put in place, and the fact that there is a reduction in calories ordered makes it appealing.”
CEO of the Royal Society for Public Health, an independent, multi-disciplinary charity dedicated to the improvement of the public’s health and wellbeing, Shirley Cramer CBE, said: “As a population, we are eating out more than ever before. From our previous research we know that the public often seek out calorie information for the food they are eating. We know that nutritional labelling provides an effective measure when helping consumers make healthier choices. It is absolutely right the Government has launched this consultation on calorie labelling in places serving food and drink outside of the home.”