Health

Putting calories on menus will hurt people with eating disorders, warns charity

ANY plan to add calories to menus will negatively affect people with eating disorders, a charity has warned, writes Jane Kirby, PA.

Beat carried out a survey of 1,118 people with an existing or past eating disorder, or those caring for them, and found that 93 per cent felt the move would have a negative or very negative impact on them.

As part of the Queen's Speech last month, the British government announced plans for restaurants, cafes and pubs with more than 250 employees to put calorie counts on their menus.

Some 89 per cent of those polled by Beat said they did not support the introduction of mandatory calorie labelling.

One respondent said: "The thought of seeing the calories on menus makes me feel so sick, and sends me straight back into the depths of my eating disorder.

"It's going to affect so many people and, instead of helping, will only make the mental health crisis worse."

A parent said: "Going out to eat during my daughter's recovery was a big step.

"Without doubt, having calories printed on the menu would have made this virtually impossible. The two together would not have worked."

Tom Quinn, Beat's director of external affairs, said: "The announcement to mandate calorie labelling on menus has been devastating for so many of the people we support, with hundreds reaching out to us voicing their concern.

"There's a distinct lack of evidence that putting calories on menus works to reduce obesity in the general population, but at the same time it is clear that calorie labelling has the potential to cause huge harm to people affected by eating disorders.

"The needs of people with eating disorders have not been properly considered by the government.

"Putting calories on menus will only stand to exacerbate the pain and distress people with eating disorders have experienced."

Mr Quinn said that legislators "must listen to the scientific evidence, healthcare professionals and the voices of people with lived experience" and not go ahead with any plans to put calories on menus.