Government urged to avoid 'dangerous' calorie policy that will harm Scots with eating disorders

Experts have warned that putting calories on hospitality menus in Scotland will harm people with eating disorders.

New research from Public Health Scotland (PHS) warns that people recovering from a range of eating disorders find calorie labelling “triggering”.

The Scottish Government has been consulting on whether restaurants and cafes must display calorie levels to tackle obesity.

The PHS study said calorie labelling would encourage people to make “healthier choices” when eating out and would improve the ability to “monitor population diet”.

However, eating disorder campaign group, Beat, urged the government to avoid the “dangerous” policy adding that it has “never been clearer” that implementing calorie data on menus would be harmful.

Kirsty Pavey, Beat’s national lead for Scotland, said that they had already seen the harm caused by the same rules being introduced in England in 2022.

This comes after the organisation surveyed almost 200 people in Scotland who had been affected by eating disorders and found that 95% said that adding calories to menus would be negative for people who are unwell.

Participants in the PHS study also said that displaying calorie information was what they “desired” in severe periods of their disorders and described it as “counterproductive” to recovery.

Ms Pavey said: “It’s never been clearer that adding calories to menus in Scotland would harm people with eating disorders.

“This new research reveals that people would struggle to eat outside of their home and worry they will relapse into eating disorder behaviours if faced with calories on menus.

“We’ve already seen the harm this has caused in England, where cafes, restaurants and takeaways with over 250 employees have been required to display calories on menus since April 2022.

“‘In 2022 we surveyed almost 200 people in Scotland who have been affected by eating disorders. 95% of respondents said that adding calories to menus would be negative or very negative for people who are unwell, and over half said they would go out to eat less often if this legislation was passed.

“This would make recovery much more difficult. We’re incredibly grateful to every person who has shared their experience as part of this research.

“We’re pleased that the Scottish Government has delayed making their decision until this research has been published.

“Now that quality evidence has confirmed that this would cause harm, we urge the Scottish Government to avoid introducing this dangerous policy.”

Beat is a leading charity for people with eating disorders. Its helpline (0808 801 0432) is open every day from 1pm to 9pm during the week, and 5pm to 9pm on weekends and bank holidays.

If you are in need of urgent help or medical advice for yourself or someone else you should contact 999 or the Samaritans on 116 123 if you or someone else is in immediate danger. If you are looking for medical advice contact your GP or 111.

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “We welcome this research, which helps us meet our commitment to fully take the views of people with an eating disorder into account when considering our policy on mandating calorie labelling in out of home settings.

“We are looking to have further discussions with the hospitality sector before taking a decision on mandating calorie labelling.

“This is consistent with the Scottish Government’s New Deal for Business.”