Restaurants, takeaways and pubs could be forced to print menus calculating the calories in meals under government plans to combat obesity.
Andrew Lansley, the Health Secretary, has signalled he will change the law if food businesses do not respond to attempts to introduce a voluntary industry system.
The Food Standards Agency is trialling a scheme in which about 20 restaurant chains, including Real Greek and Pret A Manger, provide calorie counts of all dishes on their menus.
Most chains only list nutritional information such as calories and fat and sugar content on their websites rather than in their stores. Some, such as Starbucks and Costa Coffee, offer an in-store leaflet but only if customers request the information.
A report in the Sunday Times said Lansley, whose department recently took over responsibility for healthy eating from the Food Standards Agency, wants a scheme that would also include pubs.
It said many drinkers fail to realise that a large class of wine contains 140 calories and a pint of beer 180 calories.
The report said Lansley was willing to legislate if food firms fail to adopt the system.
The Sunday Times, p1
