Calls to cut chip shop meal sizes
● One portion of chips surveyed had 75% of daily calorie recommendation
Obesity campaigners have highlighted that some bags of chips in Glasgow takeaways contain three-quarters of the average adult’s recommended calorie intake – and more than half the fat.
The figures are the result of a study of 30 chip shops.
Some bags of chips on offer in Glasgow takeaways contain three quarters of the average adult’s recommended calorie intake – and more than half the fat – a report has warned.
The study of 30 chip shops in Scotland’s biggest city found that the average size of a portion of chips has rocketed by 80 per cent since 2002 – with one sample containing as much as 1,500 calories in a single bag.
Obesity Action Scotland, which commissioned the report, found that an average single portion of chips is now 380g – compared to an average portion size in 2002 of 210g, as outlined in official portion size guidance from 16 years ago.
The charity said that 37 out of 40 samples were bigger than 2002 portion sizes, while one serving was over three times bigger.
Meanwhile, it also revealed that the size of portion – and therefore the amount of calories and fat consumed by the diner – differed greatly between shops, with portion sizes ranging from120gto755g.
Up to a quarter of all calories consumed in the UK are obtained from foods eaten out of the home.
Lorraine Tulloch, programme lead of Obesity Action Scotland said: “From
our study, we see a portion of chips has grown significantly since 2002. Today’ s average bag of chips contains around half of the recommended calorie intake for a woman for an entire day. It is no wonder that people can put on weight so easily. Let us start to improve take-aways and eating out, by ensuring people can opt for smaller portions and are aware of the calorie content of the items they are purchasing .”
A separate document published by OAS on eating out of the home said that the current out of home food environment in Scotland “encourages us to overeat”.
Food Standards Scotland (FSS) is later this year to launch a consultation into the takeaway sector to examine how it can be made healthier.
Heather Peace, head of public health nutrition at FSS, said:“food Standards Scotland will propose measures in a consultation later this year aimed at improving the food and drink available when we’re eating out, including actions to support calorie reduction, improving information for consumers and increasing healthier choices.”
Scottish ministers published a new diet and healthy weight plan last month, which includes the goal of halving childhood obesity by 2030.
Enrico Corvi, owner of the Val D’oro in Glasgow, the city’s oldest fish and chip restaurant, said he did not believe portions had got significantly bigger in recent years.
In 1971, the late Ronnie Clydesdale opened a restaurant in Glasgow, calling it the Ubiquitous Chip to take the mickey out of the city’s idea of a vegetable accompaniment to, well, everything.
While ‘the Chip’ famously didn’t serve them for years, it would appear that Glasgow’s takeaways – and probably those in the rest of Scotland – have been piling them on like there’s no tomorrow, with the average portion increasing in size by a gut-busting 80 per cent since 2002, according to Obesity Action Scotland. A single bag of chips can contain as much as three-quarters of your recommended daily calories for an entire day.
But, with rising rates of obesity causing health and even economic problems, change is coming. The Scottish Government and Food Standards Scotland appear intent on finding ways to help us reduce our calorie intake to a sensible level.
For restaurants and takeaways, that could mean being required to tell customers how many calories their food contains. Such a step might help reduce the competitive pressures that have been driving portion sizes ever upwards.