Food Commission calls for UK calorie labelling

KFC and Pizza Hut have announced they will be displaying calorie information on menu boards across the United States, sparking a debate this side of the pond.

The new initiative will not be put in place at UK branches and an industry campaigner has called for the rules to be reviewed.

Anna Glayzer, a health campaigner for The Food Commission, argued that displaying nutritional information shouldn't just apply to US branches: "KFC and Pizza Hut should treat their European customers as openly as they do their American customers and provide nutrition details at the point of sale here."

She continued: "At the moment cutsomers have to rely on guess work if they want to make healthier choices."

The Food Commission recently undertook research which found that even nutrition experts could not work out healthier choices from menu descriptions alone. Members of the public were also baffled by menu descriptions, frequently misidentifying the wrong foods as healthier choices.

Glayzer added: "People are eating out more than they used to. If companies are genuinely serious about wanting to offer healthy choices, they need to give customers up front information. If they can do this in the States, then there is no reason why they should not do it here."

A spokesperson for KFC and Pizza Hut commented on the move: "All our nutritional information is currently available in store and online. However, we are in the process of reviewing ways to provide nutritional information to our customers, including calorie count. This initiative will be reviewed over time alongside other means of information and communication."

Words: Maria Bracken

« Back to previous page