Government to unveil first food and drink responsibility deals – For more hospitality stories, see what the weekend papers say

Government to unveil first food and drink responsibility deals The first voluntary food and alcohol ‘responsibility deals' made between the Government and industry to combat the problem of obesity and binge-drinking will be unveiled this week by health secretary Andrew Lansley. On the food side, chain restaurants such as KFC, Pizza Hut, McDonald's and Burger King have pledged to put calorie counts on their menus from September and both KFC and Pizza Hut are adding healthier options to their menus. Salt content in foods is to be slashed by 15% and trans fats eliminated. Pubs and bars will be asked to display more information about problem drinking and to display alcoholic units on beer mats, glasses or beer pump clips. The British Beer & Pub Association said: "The industry has responded very positively - we estimate that BBPA members representing over 90% of UK beer production will be signed up from day one." - 13 March
Read the full articles in the Sunday Times and the Sunday Telegraph >>

Jamie Oliver launches new cheeses and Food Revolution truck and kitchens

Read the full article in the Independent >>

Baby scalded by hot chocolate at Liverpool McDonald's An eight-week-old baby who was scalded by hot chocolate at a Liverpool McDonald's outlet just over a week ago has returned home after receiving emergency treatment at a specialist burns unit. Police were called when an accident caused a hot chocolate drink to tumble into the pram of Tyler James Houghton and they drove the baby and his mother to Alder Hey Children's Hospital to treat injuries to his face, neck, arms and torso. The baby did not require surgery and his mother was confident his scars would fade with time. A spokesman for McDonalds said a trained first aider was always on duty at its restaurants. - 12 March
Read the full article in the Daily Mail >>

Floating restaurant swept downstream in Ohio Cincinnati firefighters rescued 83 diners one by one on Friday night when the Waterfront floating restaurant broke free from its moorings in the rain-swollen Ohio River and floated 100 feet downstream before wedging against a bridge. Three tugs surrounded the restaurant to prevent it from drifting as rescuers erected a gangplank of ladders and ropes to evacuate the customers. The upmarket seafood restaurant has been permanently docked in the river at Covington, Ohio, for 25 years and owner Jeff Ruby said it had never been affected by high water before. - 13 March
Read the full articles in the Mail on Sunday and the Sunday Express >>

Court gives thumbs-up to French restaurant group's smoking rooms A Paris court has rejected a suit from an anti-smoking organisation that could have shut down the smoking rooms in two Bernard Loiseau restaurants. Judges ruled that the Tante Margeurite restaurant in Paris â€" which is popular with MPs and ministers â€" did not breach the 2008 ban on smoking in public places because staff communicated with guests via intercom and served them through a hatch and so were not subjected to second-hand smoke. Staff at the group's other restaurant â€" in Saulieu, Burgundy â€" leave coffee and cognac at the door of the smoking room for customers to retrieve. The group was fined for advertising the smoking rooms in the press. - 11 March
Read the full article in The Times >>

By Angela Frewin

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