Calories on Menus

• Enforcing calorie count menus by law will cost the state tens of millions of euro to implement. The state will have to test, and re-test food used by food service outlets to make sure it is living up to the calorie counts.

• Chefs are spending more and more time doing paperwork than in the kitchen. Turing chefs (a creative role) into food scientists & nutritionists.

• We are calling for Education not Legislation – want to see Home Economics or Food Science equivalent mandatory in Second Level and need more comprehensive education on the Primary education syllabus

• Proper nutritional information includes; total fat, calories from fat, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, sodium, total carbohydrates, dietary fibre, sugars, and protein – it is simply not feasible for a restaurant to provide all the above

• Calories on their own are not a good measure of healthy menus. Calories are one part of calculating a healthy diet.

• Calorie needs differ depending on a person’s age, gender, height, weight, and physical activity level.

• Restaurants by their very design are for occasions and we, as an industry have confidence in our customers knowing a restaurant meal is just that, a treat!

• We are at risk of stifling small business who cannot afford the administration of this and stifling the creativity of chefs

• In the US, the FDA requires Calorie labelling for restaurants and similar retail food establishments that are part of a chain of 20, we would be in favour of the same in Ireland