London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Oct 24, 2025

Calories now appear on menus in large restaurant chains

Calories now appear on menus in large restaurant chains

Diners in England will see calories on menus when they eat out from today.

Restaurants, cafes and takeaways with more than 250 staff must print how many calories are in meals on their menus, websites, and on delivery platforms.

The new rule is part of government plans to tackle obesity by helping people to make healthier choices.

Some restaurants fear it will increase their costs, while an eating disorder charity says it could contribute to harmful thoughts and behaviours.

What's new?


Under the new rules, large food and drink businesses in England with 250 or more employees must display the calorie information of non-prepacked food and soft drinks.

Some High Street chains already publish information about the calorie content of their food on their menus, such as Wetherspoons pubs and The Real Greek restaurants. McDonald's has been doing it for more than a decade.
Mark Selby, co-founder Mexican-style street food restaurant Wahaca, told the BBC the chain was "completely up for being clear and transparent" to customers on food and drink information. But he said the focus on counting calories was a problem.

"It tells part of the story but I think it slightly misses out some quite important fundamentals around food - be it nutrition, fibre, all those things - which potentially we feel might be more relevant or certainly need to be considered," he said.

Mark Selby said he doesn't think calories on menus will "sway the dial" at his restaurants


Mr Selby said he believed people visited Wahaca as "a treat" and wouldn't look at the menu from a calorie point of view.

He also said creating a system to ensure chefs were accurately using the right amounts of the 250 ingredients they use across the restaurants every day had "obviously had an impact" on the business and increased costs.

The company said it used the change to also add the carbon footprint of meals to measure the climate impact of each dish.

Masterchef winner Sven-Hanson Britt tweeted the change was a "terrible thing to happen to the hospitality industry". He warned the regulation "could end creativity, spontaneity and lead to boring tick-box cooking".

"Kids will grow up in restaurants, hotels and cafes only looking at that little number below a dish. Choices will be made based on a number alone. The love of flavour, ingredients, history, cooking craft or nutrition will be lost and masked by a newly perceived focus," he said.


Kate Nicholls, boss of the industry group UK Hospitality, said the new rules came 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," she said.

"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."

What do diners say?


For Charlotte Roberts, from Macclesfield, the change won't make any difference to her food choices.

"I come to the restaurant because I go there knowing what I want to eat," the 19-year-old said. "I go there knowing that it's going to be a big meal. I just eat what I want to eat."


James Howlett, from London, said the change wouldn't affect his menu choices. The 18-year-old said: "I didn't notice that they didn't have it down anyway.

"It's whatever I feel like on the day. If I want a pizza I'll take a pizza, if I want a burger I'll take a burger."


However, Patrick Callaghan, 57, from Monmouth, said the move would make a difference to which dish he picked.

"I think people care what they eat and particularly after the lockdown, people are conscious of being more active and taking an interest in the calories that they take into the body," he told the BBC.

Kate Callaghan, 56, agreed, adding people should "accept our own responsibility for what we eat".


Making calories on menus mandatory can contribute to harmful eating disorder thoughts and behaviours worsening, according to Beat, the UK's eating disorder charity.

Tom Quinn, the charity's director of external affairs, said there was evidence that calorie information causes anxiety and distress for people affected by eating disorders.

"It can increase a fixation on restricting calories for those with anorexia or bulimia, or increase feelings of guilt for those with binge eating disorder," he said.

"There is also very limited evidence that the legislation will lead to changed eating habits among the general population."

Beat told the BBC 1.25 million people in the UK have an eating disorder and said it had "continually asked" the government to consider the impact on people affected by eating disorders and to consult "eating disorder clinicians and experts by experience at every stage of the process".

The Department of Health and Social Care said obesity was one of the biggest health issues the country faced and that food labelling played an important role in helping people make healthier choices.

A spokeswoman added people were used to seeing nutritional information on products sold in supermarkets.

The government said its policy has been informed by research and it had consulted "extensively" with mental health charities and experts.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Lakestar to Halt External Fundraising as Investor in Revolut and Spotify
U.S. Innovation Ranking Under Scrutiny as China Leads Output Outputs but Ranks 10th
Three Men Arrested in London on Suspicion of Spying for Russia
Porsche Reverses EV Strategy as New CEO Bets on Petrol and Hybrids
Singapore’s Prime Minister Warns of ‘Messy’ Transition to Post-American Global Order
Andreessen Horowitz Sets Sights on Ten-Billion-Dollar Fund for Tech Surge
US Administration Under President Donald Trump Reportedly Lifts Ban on Ukraine’s Use of Storm Shadow Missiles Against Russia
‘Frightening’ First Night in Prison for Sarkozy: Inmates Riot and Shout ‘Little Nicolas’
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
US and Qatar Warn EU of Trade and Energy Risks from Tough Climate Regulation
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
×