Will proposals for restaurants to display a menu's calorie content ruin customers' appetite, asks FIONA REDDAN
IT MAY be seen as necessary for anyone unaware of just how many calories can be consumed almost obliviously on an evening out at the cinema. But for those enjoying an occasional meal out, realising that your gratin dauphinois contains more than half of your daily calorie allowance might be seen as overly intrusive and taking away from the pleasure of the meal. So how will consumers react to a initiative requiring restaurants and cafes to display calorie information on menus? And will it actually work in combating obesity?
Earlier this month, Minister for Health Dr James Reilly launched a public consultation process canvassing opinions on the best way of putting calorie information on menus, as part of an effort to stem the rise of obesity.
Undoubtedly, it is a growing problem for the already over-burdened public health system, with two out of every three men, and over half of all women either overweight or obese in Ireland.
More worrying is the fact that one in five children aged 5-12 is overweight.
Displaying calories on menus, it is hoped, will slow this trend.
“It won’t turn the tide on obesity alone – but it will drive a demand for smaller portions. It’s all about making the easier choice the healthier choice,” says Dr Mary Daly, chief specialist in public health nutrition with the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI).
While some have criticised the initiative, on the grounds that calorie display is the act of a “nanny state”, Daly disagrees.
“This is not about banning large portion sizes. It’s purely putting the information out there for the consumer,” she says.
Ireland is not the first country to introduce calorie display on menus as part of the fight against obesity. In the US, it was first introduced on a state specific basis in 2006, while last year chains such as McDonald’s signed up to a health initiative in the UK to display nutritional information on menus.
Indeed, some Irish restaurants and food chains have already embraced the move towards calorie display.
In Dublin’s Clontarf, sisters Niamh and Sinéad Costello first introduced calorie display on the menus of their restaurant, Bay, back in November 2010. While it did involve a considerable investment of time and money to get it off the ground, it has proved to be a unique selling point for the restaurant – so much so that Niamh would rather last week’s announcement doesn’t go ahead.
“We don’t want everyone doing it,” she laughs.
Initially, about 15 per cent of the restaurant’s clientele were negative about the display of calories, but overall it has been met with a positive response.
Similarly, last February, Irish coffee chain Insomnia started displaying the calorie content of all its beverages in its 65 stores around the country.
But do such initiatives actually lead to moderated eating habits? According to the FSAI, US research indicates that when calorie information is shown on menus, people ate 152 fewer calories in hamburger restaurants; 73 fewer in sandwich bars; and 6 per cent fewer calories overall. But is it really that simple?
Observing a broad range of studies shows that the impact can be mixed. Moreover, people who frequent fast food chains may not be that concerned about choosing a low-fat option. Daly herself concedes that this initiative is not aimed at people who eat food regardless of how much fat it contains.
“This is not for people who aren’t going to take on board that information,” she says, “there are some people for whom it’s not even on the radar, and something different has to be done to engage them and get them interested.”
Rather, calorie display is for the “large group of people out there who want to change, and who are striving to do so, but don’t have the information”.
So what lessons can be learned from the experiences of Bay and Insomnia?
According to Costello, some people simply ignore the calorie displays on the menu, noting that burgers and fish and chips are still a “huge seller” in the restaurant.
However, she has noticed more circumspection among women, and feels that it has made people be more aware of their overall food intake – so they know that if they splurge on a 1,100 calorie fry today, they might need to be good tomorrow.
At Insomnia, people are still opting for their favourite drinks, despite the display of calorie information. As a spokeswoman for the firm points out, customers aren’t changing from their 140 calorie latte to an Americano, which has just 10 calories. But what has changed is that people are choosing low-fat options of their preferred item – so when they go for a muffin, they ask for the low-fat option. Indeed, since its introduction of a flat white coffee (68 calories) many Insomnia latte drinkers are switching to this option.
Pat McDonagh, managing director of the Supermac’s chain of fast-food restaurants, is not convinced that displaying calories will have a long-term beneficial impact.
“It will have a novelty value for the first few weeks and months, but after that everyone will go back to their usual habits,” he says.
He welcomes the initiative to a “certain degree”, noting that nutritional information is shortly to be displayed on posters in Supermac’s 104 restaurants around the country. However, he has concerns that displaying additional information on menus will “clutter up” the chain’s menu boards.
And converting to the new system will come at a cost – particularly for those restaurants which can’t benefit from the economies of scale of the bigger players.
Already, some restaurateurs have come out against the initiative. Oliver Dunne of the Malahide Michelin starred Bon Appetit restaurant has criticised it as being a “very costly” exercise, arguing that he changes the menus in his restaurant too frequently.
The consultation process is set to run until February 29th, but given that the Minister has already asserted that he will legislate if restaurants don’t voluntarily sign up to the initiative, you can get ready to learn just how much your little treats are adding to your waistline.
US research indicates that when calorie information is shown on menus, people ate
152
fewer calories in hamburger restaurants;
73
fewer in sandwich bars; and
6%
fewer calories overall