Restaurants,cafes and takeaways to offer calorie free menu’s
Restaurants,cafes and takeaways to offer calorie free menu’s
From 6th April 2022,the government have made it mandatory for calories to be shown on menu’s .This can affect those who have or had a bad past or relationship with food.According to the statistics between 1.25 and 3.4 million people in the UK are affected by an eating disorder, 10% of the people affected by an eating disorder suffer from anorexia nervosa , 40% suffer from bulimia nervosa and the rest of the sufferers fall into the BED or OFSED categories of eating disorders.
Some people may agree with having the calories on menu’s as it might be beneficial to those on a diet or those who want to loose weight healthily.
However for those who struggle with their relationship with food , are in recovery or have recovered , this may be overwhelming for them as they may struggle to cope or challenge their thoughts,and for the people who struggle with calories or numbers , seeing the calorie count next to an item of food or drinks can make them feel worse and it could potentially cause people to compensate after.
Reasons why adding calories on the menu can be harmful to those who struggle with their relationship with food, those who are in recovery , those who have recovered etc:
-It can increase fixation on restricting calories.
-It can worsen those who are struggling’s anxiety and the feeling of guilt.
-It may trigger harmful behaviours which may leave sufferers more isolated.
Personally I feel like the government should provide more support to those who are struggling with eating disorders(ALL ED’S ARE VALID WHETHER YOU STRUGGLE WITH CALORIES OR NOT)and disordered eating as having calories next to each item of food and drinks can increase the chances of relapse for those who have recovered or in recovery , cause more mental health issues in those who already have a bad relationship with food or body image.People should be able to go out and enjoy their meals and drinks without feeling guilty or ashamed and having their focus on the calories.
Please share this petition as much as you can to try and bring a change.