Half-price meals deal starts amid fears it will fuel obesity

DINERS will be able to enjoy halfprice meals starting today as the Government kick-starts its August scheme aimed at boosting restaurant and pub trade following the lockdown.

The Eat Out to Help Out scheme will see bills slashed by 50 per cent on all eat-in meals ordered between Monday and Wednesday this month at participating restaurants, cafes and bars.

The discount per person will be capped at £10 and does not apply to alcohol. The move is designed to increase confidence among the public and encourage people to visit restaurants, many of which were badly hit by the coronavirus pandemic, particularly during the lockdown months when much of their business was put on hold.

But critics have aimed fire at the interventionist plan and said fast-food outlets serving unhealthy products should have been banned from participating due to fears the subsidised costs could fuel obesity.

It also attracted controversy once it emerged that Chancellor Rishi Sunak had to make a ministerial order to enact the policy after HM Revenue and Customs chief executive Jim Harra said there was “uncertainty surrounding the value for money of this proposal”.

Many of the outlets that have reopened have been forced to operate with fewer covers to comply with social distancing, while also having in some cases to introduce screens and one-way systems to make their premises Covid-secure. Major chains, including Pizza

Express, Costa Coffee, McDonald’s and Nando’s, are among the 72,000 eateries to have signed up.

Mr Sunak said: “Our Eat Out to Help Out scheme’s number one aim is to help protect the jobs of 1.8 million chefs, waiters and restaurateurs by boosting demand and getting customers through the door.”