Does the inclusion of calories influence your menu choice?

If you have been out to eat in a restaurant lately you may have noticed calorie information on display.

This is part of a Government drive to tackle obesity in the UK and has recently been implemented at any restaurant with over 250 staff.

Affecting cafes, restaurants and takeaways, the information must be displayed on any non-prepacked food and soft drinks prepared for customers.

Johanna Bolinder, nutritionist and head of health and sustainability at Spoon Guru, says: “Consumers can now make informed choices and get more information on the items they are choosing to eat.

“Whether this policy will have a large impact on reducing calories in the UK diet or not is still uncertain, as much of consumer food choice still needs elements of self-regulation, this continues to be underpinned through educating consumers on healthier choices.”

However, some mental health campaigners have been against the calorie count legislation with fears it will further perpetuate growing numbers of people developing eating disorders.

An estimated 1.25 million people in the UK suffer from eating disorders according to the charity BEAT, with calorie counting being a prominent symptom of these illnesses.

Have you eaten out lately? Has the addition of calorie information on the menu affected your choice of meal? Do you think it’s a good or bad thing to be reminded of how many calories you’re eating?