This year the law changed meaning that many restaurants were obligated to put calories on their menus.
But members of a North East eating disorder "lived experience" group have spoken out about the harm this has caused and how it can be hard to avoid seeing a calorie value on a menu, even if you take precautions. The group is for those, and families of those, with experience of eating disorder treatment in the North East.
Adult eating disorder services are run jointly by the Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Trust and the Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Trust. The group meets regularly to share experiences with the NHS authorities about the wider issue.
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Tom, parent to a daughter affected by this, said: "People sometimes don’t understand how numbers can become everything when you are struggling with an eating disorder. Seeing those calories displayed can really stop you in your tracks."
Another group member, Becky said the calorie labels had harmed her own recovery. She said: "I had been very unwell, and I was receiving treatment on an inpatient unit. I was doing OK. I got to a place where I felt happy eating a good, nutritious meal of a jacket potato with cheese and beans each day.
"But then we went out to eat at a supermarket café. And I saw the calories of their jacket potato, cheese and beans on the board above the tills. When we went back to the ward that day, I couldn’t eat that meal again - even though I’d been eating it quite happily, rationally I knew it wouldn’t make me pile on weight – but just seeing the number quantified really affected me."
While you can request an alternative menu, not all restaurants will have this available and even then, the default is to provide a menu with the labelling. The group hopes more restaurants will choose to use alternative menus.
Member Kirsty added that having to ask for a separate menu wasn't easy. She said: "It highlights that you’re different and draws attention to you. Especially if you are with people you don’t know very well. It’s especially difficult if the staff aren’t sure what to do about your request, or there isn’t a menu available without calorie information."
The group had a few tips for those worried about encountering calorie labels. These include potentially calling ahead to ask about alternative menus, asking friends to help by reading menus and potentially choosing smaller restaurants - because only venues run by firms with more than 250 employees are required to provide the labelled menus.
The group said that, with anorexia being the psychiatric condition with the highest mortality rate, restaurant and cafe owners would make a massive difference by providing alternative menus and making it easy for customers with eating disorders. They also encouraged those recovering to be brave and ask for help if needed.
When the measure was introduced, a Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "Clear food labelling plays an important role in helping people make healthier choices for themselves and their families.
“We are all used to seeing nutritional information on products sold in supermarkets, and displaying calorie information on menus can help us consume fewer calories when eating out or getting a takeaway. The regulations will also allow businesses to provide menus without calorie information at the request of the customer."
They said this was in the context of obesity being one of the UK's biggest public health challenges. Eating disorder charity Beat offers information and support for anyone who may be struggling with this aspect of their mental health.
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