Mandatory calorie labelling is part of action to address obesity, with two-thirds of the population living in Scotland recorded as being overweight or obese. Eating out is common place with almost everyone in Scotland (98%) consuming food outside the home, however nutritional information is not always available.
In England calorie labelling came into effect on 6 April 2022 for businesses with over 250 employees. A 12-week consultation, which sets out the broad types of food and drink that would be covered, will seek views on how this could apply to:
- food and hospitality businesses, depending on their size
- public sector institutions such as hospitals and prisons
- pre-packed food such as filled sandwiches
- online takeaway menus
- children’s menus
Public Health Minister Maree Todd said: “Before the pandemic, people living in Scotland were consuming more and more food and drink out of home or ordering it in. Two-thirds of the population living in Scotland is recorded as living with overweight or obesity – a key factor in our plan to address this is calorie labelling.
“We know that giving people more information, such as the number of calories in meals will enable people to make healthier choices when eating out, or ordering in. This is not novel practice – calories are already required on retail food purchases and calorie labelling for out of home sites is mandated in many other countries. Many food companies in Scotland have already taken this significant step voluntarily. We want to learn from those experiences and I would urge everyone to share their thoughts in this consultation.”