Out-of-home Calorie Labelling Lauren Haxby ANutr, Assistant Nutritionist Lauren.Haxby@morrisonsplc.co.uk 20 th November 2014
Out-of-home calorie labelling and introduction of healthier options in customer cafés and colleague canteens
Calorie Labelling
Calorie Labelling in NYC Calorie labelling laws introduced in 2008 in NYC Restaurant chains with 15 or more outlets Point of choice Calories to have equal prominence to name and price of product
Department of Health Responsibility Deal Out-of-home calorie labelling pledge (Sept 2011) Voluntary commitment to display calorie information Aims to inform and empower people to make healthier choices 46 signatories
Calorie Labelling Most consumers perceive eating out as a treat and do not want to be aware of the calories they re consuming 58% of consumers state that taste of their food is more important than health 42% of consumers would like to see calories on menus Females are far more keen to see calories on menus than males Source: Allegra Food Service, Eating out in the UK (2014)
Calorie Labelling Why? Responsibility to provide information Our customers want to know! - How many calories are in your M Café Big Breakfast? - I love M Café and visit at least once a week, usually after my big shop on a Saturday morning! I m trying really hard to watch my weight so the calories you provide on your menu are really useful for me Challenge from the business - commercial impact? - negative effect on sales?
Calorie Labelling - Morrisons Café Responsibility Deal Out-of-home Calorie Labelling Pledge 396 cafes in the UK Began implementing calorie labelling in 2011 Addition of calories to main menu in line with menu changes 100% compliant with RD pledge
Morrisons Café Menu
Benefits of Calorie Labelling Customer is aware of energy content of meal Can make an informed decision Recipes can be tweaked at development stages
Implications of Calorie Labelling Challenge from business - commercial impact? drive customers away? Calculating calorie information Meal combinations/ side dishes Accuracy of information Space on menu What about other nutrients? - full nutrition information to be online soon
Food Labelling Legislation (Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on the provision of food Information to consumers) Energy value must be given in kj (kilojoules) and kcal (kilocalories) Equal prominence on menu Lack of space Customer understanding
Introduction of Healthier Options Customer demand 44% of consumers agree there are not enough healthy options available on menus Increase variety of meals on offer Highlight under 600 kcal options Helpful for customer to choose healthier options Source: Allegra Food Service, Eating out in the UK (2014)
Customer Feedback I really like that you label the amount of calories on your menu, this is really useful for me when I visit your café (at least once a week!)... The sandwiches on sale in your cafe come with their relevant calories value printed on the contents/price label. The calorie counts on your products are a very important source of information for me and my husband, so we do need to have faith in their accuracy
Healthier Colleague Canteens Approx 125,000 M colleagues Currently around 480 colleague canteens Supporting Responsibility Deal pledge: Health at Work Healthier Staff Restaurants In collaboration with Unilever developed You Choose in 2012
You Choose Providing Nutrition Information
You Choose Portion size consistency More variety of healthier options which are clearly signposted Training for colleagues 80% colleague canteen staff actively promote healthier items Very successful 92% colleagues happy with the You Choose offering
Next Steps? Morrisons: - Continue to label calories on all menus and price lists - Encourage development of more healthier options / under 600 kcal options - Full M Café nutrition information online
Next Steps? More businesses signing up to Responsibility Deal pledges Is calorie labelling working? - Research in the US - 1 in 6 customers used calorie information (1) Morrisons customer café - kcals seem to have no clear impact on sales Understanding of calorie labelling in UK (1) Dumanovsky, T., Huang, C.Y., Nonas, C.A., Matte, T.D., Bassett, M.T. and Silver, L.D. (2011) Changes in energy content of lunchtime purchases from fast food restaurants after introduction of calorie labelling: cross sectional customer surveys. British Medical Journal. Vol:343, p1-11.
Thank you