FSA denies menu labelling plan amid fierce criticism

The Food Standards Agency has downplayed reports that restaurants and hotels will be forced by law to list their food's calorie and fat content under new proposals.

An agency spokeswoman said it was not proposing any such legislation, although it would support moves to include more nutritional information on menus. She said: "It may be something we issue as voluntary guidance."

Exactly what information should appear on menus has not been decided.

Chef Raymond Blanc called the idea "trivial", and said it showed that the Government was combating obesity from the wrong direction. "Mostly, the Government is making war on calories. It should be making war on the whole food chain, but it doesn't want to fight multinationals. Government departments have always worked closely with bio-tech companies and multinationals. Some 80% of the food we eat is processed, and most bad food is processed food."

The Restaurant Association said obesity should be combated by educating people on how to lead a healthy lifestyle, and not by making chefs measure every gram of fat in each menu item.

Source: Caterer & Hotelkeeper magazine, 7-13 November 2002