Calorie labelling to be mandatory for large hospitality businesses from 2022

Large hospitality businesses will be required to display calorie information on menus and food labels from April 2022, the government has announced.

Regulations will be laid in Parliament today (13 May), forcing venues such as restaurants, cafés and takeaways with 250 or more employees in England to list calorie counts on non-prepacked food and soft drinks.

All calorie information will need to be displayed at “the point of choice” for the customer, such as physical and online menus and delivery platforms.

UkHospitality has warned that such a scheme would place a burden on the industry and cost businesses up to £40,000 per menu run.

Public Health minister Jo Churchill said the rules would “make it as easy as possibly for people to make healthier food choices”.

The regulations will include a provision allowing customers to request a menu without calorie counts if viewing the information makes them uncomfortable.

Other measures to be rolled out as part of Boris Johnson’s anti-obesity drive include a ban on free refills of sugary soft drinks in restaurants and bars in 2022, as well as a ban on junk food adverts before 9pm.

The government said it will work with the food and drink sector and local councils to ensure regulations are “implemented smoothly”.

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