Yesterday the Queen announced that as a way to combat obesity the Government will be introducing secondary legislation to require large out of home sector businesses with 250 or more employees to calorie label the food they sell. This approach will do more harm than good not just on those with disordered eating but more broadly across society. AND we need to stop it! 

Please take 2 minutes today to copy and paste the below email and send to your local MP! (Please do personalise it! and as always please do let me know if they respond!) 

Thank you! 

Dear X

RE: Remove calorie labels from restaurant menus

I am writing to you following the Queen’s Speech yesterday where she stated that as a way to combat obesity the Government will be introducing secondary legislation to require large out of home sector business with 250 or more employees to calorie label the food they sell. This approach will do more harm than good not just on those with disordered eating but more broadly across society.

As you know, eating disorders are a growing problem. The recent 2019 Health Survey found that 16% of adults aged 16 and over (19% of women and 13% of men) screened positive for a possible eating disorder 

As you are aware over Covid19 the rise in people with eating disorders has been huge with the pandemic having detrimental impacts on those with eating disorders, those in recovery and also in the development of new eating disorders.

What is proposed as a “common-sense approach” – focusing on calorie counting – is incredibly destructive.

Effective empowerment means equipping people with information to make better informed choices. While it is true that providing calorific information may be useful for some, it is important to realise that for those suffering from eating disorders, this sets entirely the wrong precedent. Further to this, evidence has shown that 1 in 4 people who restrict their food intake go on to develop an eating disorder.

The evidence is clear: 93 percent of diets fail. Add to that the fact that for those with eating disorders, calorie counting simply creates a cycle of guilt and self-hatred. Calorie counting in and of itself does not lead to healthy outcomes and so instead of becoming fixated on a number we need to focus on wider health messages.

We are calling on the government to put a stop to this piece of legislation and as my local MP I want to ask what you are doing to stop this dangerous piece of legislation going through? 

I look forward to hearing from you