Scottish restaurants to list calorie counts
● Children’s choices will also have to follow a code of conduct
Calorie counts are set to be listed on all restaurant menus in Scotland, while children’s menus will be subject to a code of practice, under sweeping new recommendations to transform eating out, to be put before the Scottish Government by Food Standards Scotland.
The body has also called for planning authorities to control the density of unhealthy eating options in different areas – particularly around schools – following a consultation on the future of the “out of home” eating (OOH) sector.
If the proposals are implemented, Scotland would become the first country in the UK to take such a step.
Food Standards Scotland (FSS) said that voluntary guidelines to improve the health of foods sold outside the home had not been sufficient and warned that the Scottish Government “needs to be prepared to take strong action”.
The recommendations were agreed at a board meeting of the organisation yesterday and will now be put before Scottish ministers.
The board papers said that Scotland’s 39,000 restaurants, cafes and takeaways needed dramatic transformation to improve Scotland’s health. More than two thirds of the Scottish population is either overweight or obese.
Ross Finnie, chair of Food Standards Scotland, said: “Almost everybody – 98 per cent of us – in Scotland eats out, and around 25 per cent of all our calories now comes from the food we eat out of home.
“In the absence of calorie information, our most popular choices are those which are less healthy – confectionery, cakes, biscuits, pastries, chips, crisps and sugary drinks.
“With two out of three people either overweight or obese in Scotland and a sharp increase in the volume of takeaways being ordered, action is needed to transform the current food environment for our health.”
He added: “Evidence shows that when people are aware of calorie content in food, it can influence their choices towards lower calorie options and encourages businesses to make the food they offer healthier.
“Eating out is now part of our everyday experience and is not always a treat as it was in the past, but we also know that calorie consumption out of home is often more than calories consumed in the home. Many popular out of home choices, such as burger meals and fish and chips can also contain nearly all of our recommended daily calories in one meal alone.”
The report also said that public sector buildings with staff and visitor cafes and restaurants should provide “a positive example” and “set the standard for healthy eating”, even when catering services are contracted out.
An an estimated 25 per cent of the calories consumed in Scotland come from foods eaten outside of the home. FSS said Scots made around 960 million visits to “out of home” outlets in 2018, equating to each person, on average, visiting four times and spending £20 each week.