The Department of Health and Social Care has published a consultation on calorie labelling for food and drink served outside of the home.

Detail:  From September to December 2018, the government consulted on requiring businesses in the out-of-home sector, for example, restaurants, cafes and takeaways, to display calorie information on the food and drink they sell.

The government’s response confirms that it will introduce mandatory calorie labelling for large businesses in the sector (businesses with 250+ employees) along with other details about the policy.

Calorie information will need to be displayed at the point of choice for the customer, such as physical menus, online menus, food delivery platforms and food labels.

Government claims the measures, which form part of their wider strategy to tackle obesity, will help to ensure people are able to make more informed, healthier choices when it comes to eating food out or ordering takeaways. The government further consulted between 30 July and 9 September 2020 on how compliance should be investigated, as well as views on penalties that could be administered in instances of non-compliance. The response on policy enforcement has now been published.  The outcome can be accessed here.