High St chains who don't list calorie information

guardian_logo

Major High St food outlets such as Costa Coffee, Pizza Express and Garfunkels have shunned the government initiative to reduce obesity by not displaying calorie counts with their products.  The watchdog Which? has marked the 1st Anniversary of the launch of the Department of Health's [DH] " Responsibility Deal " with the food and drink industry by naming and shaming the companies that have declined to play ball.  " If food companies don't agree to help people eat more healthily, " Which? insists, " then we must see legislation to force them to do so ".  In reply, the DH has challenged the Which?  list by stating that it had secured pledges that more than 70% of fast food and takeaway meals had calorie values attached - thanks to McDonalds, Pret a Manger, Yo! Sushi and Subway.

The Forum, listed by the GUARDIAN as a group which believes that legislation or regulation is long overdue, is particularly dismayed that the 1st Anniversary has not witnessed the DH naming the food giants who it lobbied to sign a calorie reduction pledge.  Momentum-building exemplars were " promised " - but not delivered.  If the DH wants to see 5bn calories less eaten daily across the nation, this will not be achieved by bits of calorie information here and there - but it might be with serious calorie reduction of food stuffed with high levels of fat, salt and sugar.