Calorie labelling for food and drink served outside of the home
Read the full outcome
Detail of outcome
From September to December 2018, the government consulted on requiring businesses in the out-of-home sector, for example, restaurants, cafes and takeaways, to display calorie information on the food and drink they sell.
The government’s response confirms that it will introduce mandatory calorie labelling for large businesses in the sector (businesses with 250+ employees) along with other details about the policy.
The government further consulted between 30 July and 9 September 2020 on how compliance should be investigated, as well as views on penalties that could be administered in instances of non-compliance. The response on policy enforcement has been published above.
Original consultation
Consultation description
This consultation is seeking views on making places that serve food and drink outside of the home show calorie information (calorie labelling).
For example, this could include on menus in restaurants, cafes, pubs, coffee shops and takeaways.
It also asks for views on:
- which businesses and products should have to display calorie information
- what information should be displayed alongside information about calories
- where this information should be displayed
- how businesses can put this into practice and whether they will face any issues or obstacles in doing so
The purpose of calorie labelling is to make sure that people have clear and accurate information about the calorie content of the food and drink that they and their families are eating when dining out, so that they can make informed and healthy choices for themselves and their children.
Nearly 1 in 4 children in England are obese or overweight by the time they start primary school, and this rises to 1 in 3 by the time they leave primary school.
Obese children are more likely to become obese adults, and obesity in adulthood increases a person’s risk of developing:
- type 2 diabetes
- heart disease
- fatty liver disease
- a number of cancers
An equality assessment was carried out ahead of this consultation.
The government has also published the methodology of the DHSC calorie model.
Documents
Updates to this page
Published 14 September 2018Last updated 10 June 2021 + show all updates
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Updated 'Impact assessment: mandating calorie labelling in the out-of-home sector' with new page 1, containing: i) Jo Churchill's (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Prevention, Public Health and Primary Care) signature; ii) Regulatory Policy Committee (RPC) opinion that the impact assessment is fit for purpose; iii) updated RPC review date from October 2026 to April 2026, to reflect the date the regulations come into force (April 2022).
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Added the outcome for the policy enforcement consultation on mandating calorie labelling in the out-of-home sector.
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Added government response, equality assessment and impact assessment.
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Changes made to the impact assessment, paragraphs 40, 42, and 43, providing contextual information on international policies. In paragraph 40, Canada has been added to the list of countries that have accepted regulations to mandate calorie labelling. In paragraphs 42 and 43, corrected information has been added on legislative intentions to introduce calorie labelling in Northern Ireland and more detail has been provided about the 'Calorie Wise' scheme.
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First published.