Calorie labelling comes at ‘worst possible time’

Mandatory calorie labelling comes at the “worst possible time” for the industry as it struggles to recover from the pandemic, Kate Nicholls has said.

The legislation means businesses with 250 or more employees in England must display the calorie information of non-prepacked food and soft drinks.

Calories have to be displayed at the point of choice, including on physical and online menus and on food delivery platforms like Uber Eats and Deliveroo.

Industry leaders have condemned the timing of the new rules, arguing it will put pressure on a struggling sector that was heavily impacted by Covid lockdowns and restrictions.

UKHospitality Chief Executive Kate Nicholls said: “The hospitality industry is working hard to ensure it is prepared and able to comply with the new regulations, but they come at the worst possible time for thousands of businesses struggling to survive.

“We’ve long called for a delay to the implementation of calorie labelling, and we’d like to see a ‘grace period’ post-April to allow businesses breathing space in which to implement the new rules without the risk of unnecessary enforcement action from day one.

“It’s completely unfair to expect businesses devastated by Covid to all of a sudden introduce complicated and costly new labelling when they’ve much more pressing matters to attend to – recouping their losses of the past 24-months for a start.

“So we believe a period of at least six months with light touch enforcement and dialogue to ensure smooth implementation is required, enabling hard-pressed operators to get to grips with the legislation, and to ensure they’re not unduly punished should they fall foul of the new rules, particularly when they’re only just starting out on the road to recovery.”

Meanwhile, Emma McClarkin, of the British Beer and Pub Association, said the legislation would add financial pressure on pubs after the pandemic.

She said: “We’re committed to helping customers make healthy choices, but this is adding extra burden to businesses, at extreme cost, at a time when we’re trying to recover from the pandemic.

“We’re already seeing energy costs soaring so this is a really untimely added burden from the Government.’

McClarkin said calorie labelling had had “mixed reviews” from customers because most want to “come in, have a treat and not feel guilty about it”.

She also added that it will be difficult for restaurants and pubs to offer seasonal menus under the new law because of the requirement to calculate and then display calories which would mean added costs with frequent menu changes.

The restaurant group run by brothers Chris and Jeff Galvin criticised the legislation as an added expense to businesses and said the Government’s money would be better spent elsewhere.

A spokesman for Galvin restaurants told Mail Online: “We have no doubt that encouraging people to make balanced choices when they choose what they eat is important, and the right thing to do.

“But calories aren’t the full picture, many nutritionally dense foods are high in calories, and many foods that have less nutritional value are low in calories.

Pho, which operates Vietnamese cafes, has hired nutritionist Rhiannon Lambert to ensure they are providing the full picture and not just focusing on calories.

Jules Wall, co-founder of Pho, said: “Dining out is about enjoying tasty food, great company and a little of what you fancy, and that needs to remain everyone’s focus.

“Our goal is to be a trustworthy place to dine every day of the week without needing to be concerned with calories - so in partnering with Rhiannon, our aim is to help our teams and our customers understand a bit more about nutrition, and allow them to focus on the fun of dining out.”

The company, which has been sharing nutritional information online since 2013, added: “The publishing of calories on our menus has come at an additional cost which was probably less of a pain for us than others in the industry.

“It seems unnecessary at a time when hospitality is just coming back to life but equally we understand the need for people to live happily and healthy post-pandemic.”

Pho’s nutritionist Rhiannon Lambert agreed that the calorie label should not dictate a diner’s gauge of how nutritious a meal is.

She said: “It is important to remember that calories are not everything when it comes to the food we consume.

“A number displayed on a menu certainly does not dictate how healthy you are or the quality of your nutrition.

“What these figures do not take into account is people’s age, size, or physical activity levels, which can greatly influence the amount of calories a person consumes in a day.”

Ranjit Mathrani, CEO of restaurant MW Eat, told BigHospitality that the industry had “great reluctance” to go along with the new rules.

He said: “Huge companies such as McDonald’s and KFC have nutritionists on their payroll. Implementation will also be more challenging for less standardised businesses that cook from scratch.”