New calorie labelling legislation – what does it mean for operators?

New calorie labelling legislation

Hot on the heels of allergen labelling legislation which took e ect in October last year, and at a time when many hospitality businesses are still trying to get back on their feet in the wake of Covid, comes new Calorie Labelling (Out of Home Sector) (England) Regulations 2021. What does this mean for operators?

CALORIE DETAILS REQUIRED

From 6 April 2022, the new Calorie Labelling (Out of Home Sector) (England) Regulations 2021 came into e ect, meaning that many food and hospitality businesses will now be required to display calorie information to customers.

Under these new regulations, food businesses with more than 250 employees will be required to provide calorie information on physical menus, online menus, food delivery platforms or food labels. And in line with the Calorie Labelling Regulations, businesses will be required to include the energy content of the food in kilocalories (kcal), reference to the size of the portion which the calorie information relates to and a statement that ‘adults need around 2,000 kcals a day’. It is estimated that two-thirds of adults in the UK are now overweight or obese. This new legislation aims to tackle these rising numbers and promote consumer choice, enabling people to make more informed choices and opt for healthier meals.

The Calorie Labelling Regulations apply to foods sold for immediate consumption including prepacked for direct sale (PPDS) items like grab and go sandwiches and salads. They a ect out of home food businesses with 250+ employees and those that do not comply could face nes of up to £2,500.

While some businesses may already state calorie content on menus or labelling, the regulations require clear calori c declarations at every ‘point of choice’ for consumers. So, for example, in a single outlet this could extend to a menu board, on-table menus, product labels, display cabinets and an ordering app.

Discussing the regulatory changes, George Mac e, food technical manager at testing, inspection and certi cation company, Bureau Veritas, said: “The health of adults and children has long been a hot topic with various tactics put in place over the years to reduce unhealthy eating, including restrictions on television advertising.

“However, with data now showing a staggering number of adults measuring as overweight or obese, the government is taking much-needed action on larger food businesses to ensure they play their part in supporting informed and smarter food choices. “The legislation will impact a signi cant number of food businesses, including restaurants, cafés, fast food outlets and takeaways, specialist food stores such as delicatessens and sweet shops, as well as domestic transport businesses including planes, trains and ferries.”

EDUCATE AND INFORM

According to Bureau Veritas, it will be key for business to educate sta members in order to pave the way for a successful transition to the new rules, as they will very likely be responsible for informing visitors on the calorie information and where this can be found.

It’s also vital that the calorie information is calculated using average values and supported by data, based on either the manufacturer’s analysis of the food, a calculation from the known ingredients used or from established and accepted data, they propose. George Mac e added: “These food businesses have been focusing on processes to meet the requirements of other regulations such as Natasha’s Law – the legislation governing allergy labelling of food. Now the focus turns to calorie labelling. This is a positive change in the provision of nutritional information which must be researched, planned for, and welcomed.

“By implementing changes to food labelling and display, everyone involved can meet the new requirements and support customers to make better food choices. If it seems daunting, we would encourage rms to seek support from external specialist partners.”

Bureau Veritas says that it has recently launched a Calorie Labelling: Guidance for Food Businesses guide which includes all the relevant information for food businesses to follow and details of the exempt food types and organisations (and downloadable from their web site, www.bureauveritas.co.uk).

A LABELLING SOLUTION

Food labelling company, Planglow, have announced that they are o ering food and drink businesses of all sizes a quick and easy way to calculate and add calorie information to labels and displays using its award-winning food labelling app LabelLogic Live.

To aid food and drink operators in producing compliant information, the company has added a calorie labelling tool to its LabelLogic Live which allows users to automatically calculate the calorie content of food and drink products and simply add to their labelling and ticketing.

Planglow’s technical director Richard Newman commented: “The new calorie labelling regulations are of course preceded by the winter Covid restrictions and the introduction of Natasha’s Law last October which, understandably, have left many food and drink providers on the back foot. We have therefore developed a way to produce fully regulation-compliant labels and ticketing in a few simple clicks without costing businesses yet further setbacks.”

The calorie calculator is accessed via the company’s online labelling app, LabelLogic Live, and works on any webconnected laptop, computer, mobile phone or tablet, users creating their food labels online and then printing using a standard desktop printer.

IMPLICATIONS FOR SMALLER BUSINESSES LONG TERM?

Smaller businesses are currently exempt, as are food and drink providers within Scotland and Wales, although further legislation is anticipated in the next two years. Exceptions are made for some operators - such as schools - and certain food and drink o erings (for example o -menu choices as requested by the customer).

“While large businesses only are currently required to give calori c declarations, we feel SMEs will increasingly be encouraged to do so too over the coming 18-24 months,” Richard Newman added.