M&B introduces calorie counter on pub menus

Mitchells & Butlers (M&B) is to introduce a calorie counter on menus at its Harvester and Scream pubs.

M&B is one of 18 companies set to introduce the scheme from the end of April. Others include high street brands such as Burger King, KFC, Subway, Wimpy and Pizza Hut. By June, 450 outlets will have introduced the scheme, some on a pilot basis.

Each company has agreed to display calorie information for food and drinks, print calorie information on menu boards, paper menus or on the edge of shelves and ensure the information is clear and easily visible at the point where people eat their food.

"We know that people want to be able to see how many calories are in the food and drink they order when they eat out," said public health minister Dawn Primarolo.

"I want to see more catering companies join this ground breaking first group to help their customers make healthier choices."

Tim Smith, chief executive of the Food Standards Agency, added: "We are pleased that such a diverse range of companies has agreed to work with us by introducing calorie labelling at the crucial point where their customers make a decision about what to eat.

"Our aim is to ensure that consumers have better information so they can make informed choices to improve their diet when eating out, whether that is a snack on the go, a meal in a staff restaurant or at a table being served by a waiter."

Independent research will assess how easily customers understand and use the system and gather feedback from the restaurants themselves to look at practical issues and the costs involved in providing the information.

Gathering this data will inform the next steps for a wider roll-out of calorie labelling on menus.