All large cafes and restaurants are legally required, as of the 6th April 2022, to display the calorie count of all items on the menu. The reasoning given is that this is a measure taken to reduce obesity levels - yet, research has suggested that calorie labelling does not significantly reduce the number of calories ordered.
However, what’s more concerning is that in the past year alone, hospital admissions for eating disorders have increased by 41%. For anyone who has suffered from an eating disorder, or knows the most basic aspects of them, it is evident that counting calories is a stepping stone to developing an eating disorder, and quickly becomes a dangerous which is extremely difficult to stop. Calories are also a huge trigger for those recovering from an eating disorder. As stated by BEAT, “calorie counts on menu’s won’t prevent obesity, but they will harm those with eating disorders”; they will also be detrimental to those in recovery. It is therefore highly likely that this new law will result in a rise in cases of restrictive eating disorders such as Anorexia Nervosa, while having a limited, if any, impact on obesity levels.

Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of all psychiatric disorders, with Anorexia Nervosa killing 5-10% within 10 years of developing the illness, and 20% after 20 years. Thus, 1 in 5 Anorexia patients will die as a result of their eating disorder. In fact, the mortality rate for Anorexia is 12 times higher than that of any other cause of death for women between 15-24 years of age.

Reducing obesity to a solely calorie-based issue is also largely incorrect. Nutritional information has been on the packaging of all food for years, yet this has not reduced obesity rates. In addition, obesity has been linked inextricably to poverty, stress, and mental and physical illness. Thus, it is clear that obesity is not caused solely by a lack of awareness of the calorie content of foods - instead, a range of factors, including poverty, should be addressed in order to combat obesity levels. 

Evidence therefore suggests that while calorie information on menus will have a limited, if any, influence on obesity levels, it will undoubtably have a detrimental effect on those struggling with, or recovering from, eating disorders, which will in itself increase hospital admission rates for these illnesses which are already drastically rising. Once again, the government has blatantly ignored the research which suggests this measure will do more harm than good.