Pubs trail restaurants on menu calorie labelling

Of the 45 companies that have signed up to the out-of-home calorie labelling pledge as part of the Responsibility Deal, 14 are restaurant groups and just two are pub companies — Mitchells & Butlers’ Harvester restaurants and JD Wetherspoon. The pledge was launched a year ago (15 March).

Harvester introduced complete information last March while Wetherspoons is launching a new menu next week (28 March) that highlights 30 dishes containing fewer than 700 calories and less than 5% fat.

Dishes include the superfood salad (£4.30) at 191 calories and a five-bean chilli (£4.60) at 592 calories. Healthy desserts are also available with a fruit salad and yoghurt (£2.99) at 290 calories and pancakes and ice cream with fruit compote (£3.50) at 492 calories.

However, it has not fulfilled the aim of the pledge to provide calorie information for every dish on the menu, though this information is available through its website.

“We are still reviewing whether to put calorie information on each dish,” said a spokesman. “But we have made big steps with this menu. We are aware that people are more health-conscious and wanted to reflect this with our range of meals. We don’t preach to our customers so the options for any type of meal are there.” The company’s large mixed grill weighs in at 1,942 calories.

Meanwhile, it is less likely that such labelling will become compulsory — regulation is being delayed from next year to the end of 2014.

“We hope it won’t become mandatory,” said deputy chief executive of the British Hospitality Association Martin Couchman. “Probably relatively few people understand or use the information unless they are dieting, though I’m sure more would use it now than years ago.”

The Government is currently pushing for a five billion-a-day calorie reduction, amounting to 100 calories per person.