Supermarkets and other food vendors in the UK could be the big causalities of the war on obesity, with Public Health England recommending the implementation of a ‘calorie cap’ across the country. As many as one in four adult citizens in the UK is classified as obese, and the government is looking at taking drastic steps to curb the rise of unhealthy eating.
The calorie cap would be based around the recommended daily intake of 1600 calories – 400 for breakfast, 600 for lunch and 600 for dinner. Out-of-home food solutions would have to fit within these limits.
"People eat 200-300 calories too many a day,” said PHE chief nutritionist Alison Tedstone. “We will work with the industry to reduce the calories in everyday food. This is all about things like pizzas and ready-made sandwiches. We will need to set out guidelines and, I suspect, a series of calorie caps."
However, many fast-food products sit well above these limits on their own. The ever-popular McDonald’s Bacon and Egg McMuffin contains 430 calories, while KFC’s Mighty Bucket For One, contains over 1,200 calories – double the recommended limit. The new rules would force these restaurants to change their menu.
The plan is to be published in full by the PHE in March.
