Content Warning: This article mentions eating disorders and other related issues, which may be upsetting to some readers.
Under new government legislation restaurants will have to print calories on menus, in a bid to ‘reduce obesity’ however, this could be very problematic.
On April 6 the government introduced the legislation saying it is now required for all restaurants, cafes and takeaways in England with more than 250 members of staff to print the number of calories in the dishes on all of their menus, including those on digital platforms.
These changes come as a result of ‘the government’s strategy to tackle obesity’, a condition which ‘affects almost two-thirds of adults in England… and 40% of children’, therefore costing ‘the NHS £6.1 billion each year’, according to the Department of Health and Social Care.
At face value, these new measures may seem like something that should welcome and eateries have already been showcasing calories on their menus for years now – perhaps the most prolific examples of this would have to be bigger chains like Wetherspoons and McDonald’s.
However, many people believe that printing calories on menus is extremely problematic for a number of reasons.
It is not effective
If the government are trying to reduce levels of obesity, calorie counting is not necessarily the way forward. The number of calories in a meal does not determine whether it is nutritious or not.
For example, a bowl of fruit salad may have more calories in it than just eating a chocolate bar, but the former is clearly healthier than the latter.
Aside from this, not all of the numbers we see are accurate. More often than not, products have false advertising or only account for foodstuffs in an uncooked state.
In the specific case of a restaurant, chefs will not always recreate a dish the exact same each time – for example, the recipe may be altered by slightly different measurements of ingredients. This inherently means that the calories being exhibited on menus are not 100% accurate, so something may be falsely presented as ‘healthier’ than another item.
Encouraging unhealthy eating practices
A focus on calorie counting encourages unhealthy eating practices, whether it be something as minor as skipping a meal one day or a more major prolonged issue like anorexia.
Andrew Radford, the Chief Executive of the UK eating disorder charity BEAT responded to the initial proposals back in 2019, arguing ‘requiring calorie counts on menus risks causing great distress for people suffering from or vulnerable to eating disorders, since evidence shows that calorie labelling exacerbates eating disorders of all kinds.’
When food becomes numbers, it can easily be seen as a black-and-white thing to be controlled and the government’s approach to this matter is extremely reductive and does not take into account the complexities of individual struggles that millions of people face on a daily basis when it comes to eating.
It harms the hospitality industry
These new regulations are not cheap. Restaurants must factor in the new increased costs of their meals, given that they now have a calorie count they must adhere to, and also the reprinting of menus.
The hospitality industry was one of the most affected during the Covid-19 pandemic with economic output in the hospitality sector was down 90% in April 2020 compared to February 2020.
Enforcing these measures immediately after the setbacks from the past couple of years seems insensitive and unfair when many businesses are struggling to recover.
Surely, printing calories on menus would affect customer sales as well if people felt uncomfortable or triggered by it when going out to eat, which is a very real possibility.
On top of this, Masterchef winner Sven-Hanson Britt has made the important observation that these changes when he told the BBC it ‘could end creativity, spontaneity and lead to boring tick-box cooking.’
What the government can do instead
The best way to promote healthy lifestyles is to begin in schools, teaching children about what constitutes a nutritious meal and encouraging them to exercise, too.
In terms of adults, instead of focusing on calories, menus should display the protein or vitamin content within meals, so that there is a focus on being strong and healthy rather than just trying to lose weight.
Furthermore, the government should be keeping businesses in check through other measures, such as taxing unhealthy products like sugar or removing advertising of fast food and replacing it with healthier alternatives.
Printing calories on menus is not effective. In his response, Radford also made the observation the ‘public health campaigns need to consider people’s mental health as well as their physical health. They must move away from obesity-shaming to emphasising healthy behavioural changes and instilling confidence into people.’