Labelling for the Competitive Edge

The debate on healthier lifestyles continues and, if you read the supporting detail, rightly so.

Over 25% of the UK population are now officially obese with an associated NHS cost estimated at £4 billion a year, unfortunately both statistics will continue to grow for the foreseeable future.  Indeed current estimates suggest that nearly half the population will fall into this category within the next 15 years doubling, at least, the health related costs as an unfit workforce place unprecedented strain on the economy.

So how did we get to this position?

There are many factors to consider all of which have contributed towards how the average UK lifestyle has changed beyond recognition over the last 50 years.  Food for instance used to represent around half of the average household expenditure, now it only represents less than 10%. Furthermore the increase in working time has led to a reduction in the ability, available time and incentive to cook meals from scratch with the increased use of convenience foods (be that whole meals or just components such as sauces) solving one set of problems but creating another.

This scenario has also increased availability of indulgence foods with a direct impact on the nature, and regularity, with which we eat food high in calories.  I recently visited a school where a science class used an excellent interactive resource that covered this point; the underlying message being that if you consume more food and put more energy into your body than you use the surplus would be turned to fat.  This single fact needs reinforcing every day using all available methods.   

Calorie labelling does therefore play an important part in a wider approach that should educate everyone on the relationship between diet, lifestyle and body.  Having spoken with many operators, there are a number of reasons why uptake of this initiative has been slow including the perceived complexity and adverse effect on trade.  Both are relevant concerns, however scratch under the surface and none are as catastrophic as may be imagined.

The recent paper published by The Department of Health “Technical Guidance on Voluntary Calorie Labelling for Catering Businesses” provides clear advice on how this should be approached and highlights the legal requirements for labelling i.e. it’s not misleading. It also recognises the dynamic nature of the hospitality industry with information on accuracy, tolerances (LACORS currently outline a 20% tolerance) and substituted ingredients with two example explanatory statements noting that the information is provided as a guide, based on average figures, typical serving size and that the occasional substitution of an ingredient may alter the calorie value displayed.

For a successful catering business to maintain consistency in standards and maximise profitability the use of recipes is key.  In relation to calorie labelling this will also provide the evidence that, if challenged, a process is in place to support the calorie claim and therefore does not restrict the flair of chefs.

When it comes to choice would calorie displays really deter custom? Surveys (the most recent from LACA/ParentPay) indicates that 89% customers are interested in the nutritional value of dishes with a further 42% stating indicated that the information would influence their choice.   McDonalds have taken the step, so I thought I’d see the well publicised calorie displays.  To be honest they were clear for all to see and didn’t appear to be affecting trade.  Speaking with a few customers they knew what they wanted and didn’t consider the calorie at the point of purchase; they did however say they found it helpful as a barometer to what they ate during the rest of the day.

So, with an increasing proportion of customers demanding the information and support schemes available it appears that the early adopters will capture the commercial benefit of taking this step.


www.fdhospitality.com/nutritional-analysis-software