FSA announces first steps to introduce nutrition information for consumers when eating out of home

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has today launched the first phase of its work to introduce nutrition information in a range of catering outlets.

The FSA wants to see more consistent nutrition information for consumers at the point they make a decision about what they eat out of home and announced that the first step will be the introduction of calorie labelling.

The FSA is talking to a range of companies that will act as early adopters to introduce calorie labelling in the summer, further details of which will be published in due course. This activity will see calorie information provided on menus and other materials available at the point consumers choose what to eat.

FSA chief executive, Tim Smith, said: 'We’re used to seeing nutrition information when we’re shopping and there is no compelling reason why we shouldn’t have more consistent information about nutrition when we eat out. As a family man, I know how important it is to have clear information in order to make decisions about the food we, our children and anyone else eat when we go out. Providing calorie information is supported by our consumer research and intuitively feels right too - this is the first and simplest step and can only be a good thing for all consumers.'

'The Agency is keen to work closely with industry to see, as a first step, how calorie information can be provided in a clear, effective and simple manner across a range of catering settings.'