Calories Are Now Listed On Restaurant Menus
Article by Rosie Smith
As of April 2022, food serving hospitality venues with 250 or more employees are now required by law to display calorie content on food menu items. This includes cafes, restaurants, pubs and takeaways. (1) The incentive behind this legislation is to tackle obesity in the UK and to help reduce the NHS spending on obesity related illnesses, estimated to be roughly £1.6bn per year. (2)
Whilst this incentive may turn out to be effective and successful in reducing obesity, it appears to neglect the eating disorder community and the issues that may arise as a result around disordered eating. With 1.25 million people in the UK suffering from eating disorders (3).
Is listing the calorie content problematic, especially for people with eating disorders?
Going out to eat for most people is an occasion where you can enjoy the food and not worry about what you’re eating. This could now possibly change, with the topic of conversation at the dinner table concerning calorie content on this that or the other dish, which is likely to be incredibly triggering for individuals with disordered eating. What we could see is those with disordered eating may feel more isolated and further avoid these situations. What we may even see a rise in anxiety around food that people never even had before.
A meal high in calories doesn’t mean the meal is ‘bad’ and calorie content does not signify health. The narrative that we have good and bad foods dependant on their calorie content is wrong. What calories don’t tell you is the actual nutrient content of food. Some high calorie meals may in fact contain more nutrients. The concept of putting calories next to food items on a menu means they may start to be depicted negatively, when in fact calories are simply units of energy and essential fuel for the body. Becoming consumed with calories may lead to an unhappy long-term lifestyle choice and it may further encourage negative towards what that person is eating. Rather than being dictated by calories, what we all need to be aware of is how to eat healthily, for life not just for weight loss.
Could labelling calories make life easier for some people?
We are all unique so it is best for us to individually make informed decisions that are best suited to you about what, when, and how to eat responsibly for health and happiness. Use the numbers if you wish as a tool but know it is not the ultimate answer to defining nutrition and health. These numbers on the back of packaging and now menus should be taken as an estimate rather than the exact amount that you will get from the food, as these numbers can be up to 30% inaccurate. You may not absorb the full amount of energy (i.e. the calories) or nutrients that is released from foods that is shown on the packaging and menus, due to individual differences such as your gut health and intestine length or how much of the nutrients you absorb.
What advice is there who may be triggered by calories?
For the nutrition world, putting calories on menus is not necessarily the answer but better education is. Educating children in and outside school on how to develop a good relationship with food and see calories as an essential energy source is imperative. Time will tell to observe the true affects of this legislation, so we will just have to see. But for anyone experiencing anxiety around eating out, here are some tips for visiting a restaurant:
Although you are likely to be given menus displaying calories, you are entitled to see a menu without calories upon request. Request this menu without the display of calories first.
Choose small business restaurants who may have less than 250 employees as the legislation does not apply to them and try to avoid large chain restaurants.
Before you arrive, request that calories are not a topic of conversation at the dinner table with your friends, family or whoever you’re dining with.
Menu items that are served for less than 30 days are not required to display calorie content. Considering this, it may be good to opt for the specials or pick a restaurant with regularly changing menus.
We know that these tips are easier said than done. For those who are uncomfortable with the new legislation there is plenty of support available if you need to reach out for advice or talk it through. This includes reaching out to your GP, a dietitian or mental health and eating disorder charities.
Beat offers a range of support for the eating disorder community including online and telephone services. You can contact them on the following numbers: 0808 801 0677 (adult helpline), 0808 801 0711 (youthline) and 0808 801 0811 (studentline).
This fantastic mental health charity also offers telephone, online and face to face support and you can reach them on their helpline: 0300 123 3393.
This blog post was written by Rosie Smith who is currently studying Clinical Nutrition MSc at the University of Roehampton. Rosie has a real passion to help ditch diet culture for the problems it causes to individuals and our society. She has a role at Beat as a digital volunteer and is learning and hearing about the real struggles people are facing regarding disordered eating.
References:
BEAT (2022) About Beat. Available at: https://www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk/about-beat/ (Accessed: 08/04/2022).
Gov.uk (2017) Health Matters: Obesity and the Food Environment. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-matters-obesity-and-the-food-environment/health-matters-obesity-and-the-food-environment--2 .
Gov.uk (2021) Calorie Labelling on Menus to be Introduced in Cafes, Restaurants and Takeaways. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/calorie-labelling-on-menus-to-be-introduced-in-cafes-restaurants-and-takeaways (Accessed: 08/04/2022).