A nice little restaurant, a candlelit bite for two – and 7,842½ calories

Published on Thursday 15 January 2009 22:30

IN THESE times of economic hardship, eating can be one of life's little indulgences: a chance to enjoy a beautifully cooked meal, a glass of wine and convivial company.

But the government is preparing to take some of the fun from even this luxury by encouraging restaurants and other food outlets to include calorie counts for each dish on menus.

Launching a new labelling scheme, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) wants to help diners watch their waistlines with calorie information visible to customers when they order.

The FSA has said it is already in talks with a number of companies that will adopt the scheme later this year.

But yesterday Malcolm Duck, owner of Duck's Edinburgh and chairman of the Edinburgh Restaurateur Association, said the move was needless bureaucracy interfering with people's lives.

"You don't go into a restaurant to lose weight. If you go into Martin Wishart's place or mine, you're going to have a nice meal," he said.

"We don't serve things that are rubbish, we don't use produce that is bad. If it's Christmas and you have your potatoes done in goose fat, your comfit of duck or foie gras, then there are lots of calories.

"There is enough legislation, we're getting tied down with bureaucracy. It's a potty idea."

Alan Tompkins, owner of several restaurants in Glasgow and former chief executive of the Glasgow Restaurateur Association, said restaurants with constantly changing menus would find it almost impossible to keep track of calorie counts.

"When people go into restaurants, nine times out of ten they are going in for pleasure and not necessarily wanting to be bombarded with information about what's good and what's not so good for them," he added.

However, Mr Tompkins said he supported government efforts to provide more information to customers about healthy eating.

Tim Smith, the FSA's chief executive, said the proposal was a logical extension of the information found on food packaging in supermarkets.

"We're used to seeing nutrition information when we're shopping and there is no compelling reason why we shouldn't have more consistent information about nutrition when we eat out," he said.

Under the scheme, restaurants and other establishments will display the number of calories in each dish on the menu or menu board where there is counter service.

Yesterday, the restaurant chains Wagamama and Pizza Express were looking into publishing the calorie content of their dishes.

Anna Glayzer, campaigns co-ordinator at the Food Commission, said:

"At the moment consumers are completely in the dark, so the provision of more nutrition information should be welcomed. However, we want to see this information provided by more than a handful of companies on a voluntary basis.

"Companies already provide this information in the US and we see no reason why they shouldn't do the same thing here," she added.

Choosing the healthy option is more difficult than diners think

WHILE the main concerns for most people when they eat out are quality and cost, usually in that order, the calorific content of their meals can equally be an eye-opener.

For instance, a simple Pizza Margherita at Pizza Express has a waistline-friendly 263 calories, while a salt beef deli sandwich at Pret A Manger, which includes gherkins, sauerkraut, mustard mayo and leaf spinach, contains a surprisingly high 415 calories.

Similarly, a Big Mac at McDonald's may be a treat for the children, while you opt for a healthy sounding chicken and bacon salad. Yet the burger weighs in with 490 calories, while the salad is not far behind on 325.

The issue of restaurant calorie counting was first brought to the fore in New York City, where compulsory labelling for large food chains was introduced last year.

City health officials claimed that calorie labels could reduce the number of obese New Yorkers by 150,000 over the next five years, and prevent 30,000 cases of diabetes.

The move was not widely welcomed, with legal challenges brought against the city. Those who continue to sell food "blind" face a fine of $2,000 (1,350).