‘I’m responsible for what I put in my body’: Consumers respond to calorie labelling rollout

theguardian.com:

Burgers, pizzas, salads and desserts all came with a special side dish on Wednesday: a calorie count.

In the latest government effort to tackle obesity, restaurants, cafes and takeaways across England with more than 250 staff are now required to print calorie counts for meals on their menus and websites. So will this new law drastically reform people’s eating habits? Not likely.

At eateries visited by the Guardian on Wednesday, some consumers reasoned the move might be a “nudge in the right direction”, but most said it was unnecessary and would make no difference to what they would choose to eat.

Others, who have struggled with their weight in the past, said they found the figures difficult to see.

“I don’t think it’s necessary,” laughed Nosipno Zithutha before going into Nando’s at Euston station in central London, where the effort was being rolled out alongside chains across the country for non-prepacked food and soft drinks.

Nor did Zithutha think calorie labelling would be effective. “We still have to make our own decisions. If I want to buy KFC and eat something that is vegetarian or plant, I will still go for it,” she said. “I’m responsible for what I put into my body.”

Nando’s, Pizza Express and Wagamama are among the businesses that were already publishing calorie information online and began printing the information on their menus as of Wednesday.

The new law, approved by parliament last year, comes after the coronavirus pandemic shone a light on obesity and the linked increased risk of dying from Covid. According to government figures, almost 63% of adults in England are overweight or living with obesity while 40% of children are obese or overweight when they leave primary school. The cost to the NHS is estimated at