Restaurants and fast-food outlets are to include calorie counts on menus, while in pubs beer mats and glasses will display alcohol units, under a package to be announced by ministers this week.
Large chains will also introduce healthier meals as part of a voluntary agreement between industry and the government. KFC will start selling griddled rather than fried chicken pieces, while Pizza Hut is planning a low-calorie menu and will encourage customers to eat more salad.
Both these chains, as well as McDonald’s and Burger King, will introduce calorie counts on menus from September. Health officials predict that others may be shamed into disclosing the information.
Companies will pledge to reduce salt by about 15% in a step towards the government target of an adult’s daily intake not exceeding six grams. Artificial transfats — chemically altered vegetable oils that are found in processed foods and are linked to high cholesterol, heart attacks and strokes — will be removed.
The action is part of the government’s “responsibility deals” on food, alcohol, physical activity, health at work and behavioural change. The government insists that the voluntary agreements are faster than legislation and cost less to the taxpayer. Some campaigners argue, however, that they give too great a say to industry at the expense of the public’s health.