Here's How People Really Feel About Calories On Restaurant Menus

How do you feel when you see calories listed on restaurant menus? Helped, shamed, or just plain annoyed? Well, from this week you won’t have much choice about it.

Diners will see the calorie content of food on menus from Wednesday as part of a Government drive to tackle obesity and improve the nation’s health.

Businesses with 250 or more employees in England, including cafes, restaurants and takeaways, will be required to display the calorie information of non-prepacked food and soft drinks prepared for customers.

Calories 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.

The measures, which form part of the Government’s wider war on obesity, have apparently been introduced to help consumers make more informed, healthier choices when eating out or ordering takeaways.

It became compulsory for large restaurant chains in the US to add calorie menu labelling in 2018. In the UK, the government recommended voluntary menu labelling in 2011. The policy has always been controversial, with campaigners previously telling HuffPost UK it could impede recovery for people with eating disorders.

But what do customers think about it? HuffPost UK previously asked readers to share their opinions and it seemed to be a divisive topic.

Some people said they do not appreciate calorie listings and just want to enjoy eating out “in peace”.

It honestly makes me anxious. Going to eat out in a restaurant is a treat, or a nice date night out to me. I don't want to know how many calories are in my burger that I should be enjoying - not counting how many calories is in each bite!
— Emmie Harrison-West (@emmieehw) October 17, 2019

I think it's useful on menus like @McDonalds but generally NO! It's stressful and I just want to enjoy my food in peace.
— Katherine :) (@kmhl_trouble) October 17, 2019

If you eat out a lot then it might be useful to make informed choices. However, for myself, if I go out to eat, it is a treat & the hell do I want to know how many calories I am consuming!!! I have eaten something I didn't really enjoy just because it seemed healthier - not cool
— Janine Pipe (@disneynine) October 17, 2019

But others said the introduction of labelling at some restaurants has positively changed their eating habits by helping them to make informed choices.

For me personally its helped with accountability. When I can plainly see that burger and fries is almost 1500 calories, I will question whether its worth it. It's definitely helped me make informed choices
— Emma 🏴🌼 (@Ems_OHara) October 17, 2019

I personally find it very useful - I totally stopped eating my favourite Pret sandwich after checking the calorie count, and routinely am able to order lower cal meals that are just as good. But I'm aware the science says that they have little effect overall
— Karin Robinson (@karinjr) October 17, 2019

I think it's a great idea.Sometimes,I will make a decision to eat something calorific, but most of the time, I want to know what the healthier options are. Especially if I'm away from home and don't have the option to go home and cook something healthy
— Kellie Foster (@kellieann87) October 17, 2019

People also pointed out that calories are not everything and other nutritional values should be considered if the labelling is to be truly useful.

My view is to to educate people on the more important benefits of the food rather just its energy value.
Where and how was it sourced? Is it nutrient dense? By all means keep the calories but don’t show ONLY the calories. It grows eating disorders
— health_buddy (@healthbuddy_uk) October 17, 2019

In light of the epidemic of child obesity and strain on NHS, it’s a good idea. However, I prefer a green light system. Calories don’t highlight nutritional value whereas high fat, salt, sugar signs are better. It caters for diabetics, keto, cholesterol etc
— Askmollybeauty (@askmollybeauty) October 17, 2019

And some raised concerns about the impact calorie labelling has on people with eating disorders, with one woman saying she now has to avoid any restaurants that have implemented labelling because it risks damaging her recovery.

I don't eat in restaurants that put the calories on the menu because it's extremely damaging to my eating disorder recovery. We shouldn't normalise disordered eating.
— Bella Longman (@Bella_Longman) October 17, 2019

It's a VERY bad idea. Food is not only essential to life, it is joyous and should not have virtue attached to it ever. Eating Disorders are the biggest killer of all mental illness yet being able to eat freely is vilified in our disordered society making recovery so very hard.
— Pip Ski (@pipski5) October 17, 2019

A better option, one woman argued, could be for restaurants to have nutritional information available if customers ask for it.

I think it should be available if people want to know but it shouldn't be written on every menu. When I go out, I want to enjoy my food, not worry about the number of calories I'm eating. That said, there could be a space for this in healthy food cafes etc.
— Katherine jane (@KJVBrook) October 17, 2019

What do you think about nutritional labelling in restaurants? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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