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Did you know it is mandatory for restaurants and eateries to mention the calories each dish contains on their menu? For someone who is a regular monitor of their food intake, dining out can be a let-down, since restaurants fail to mention the number of calories dishes contain. At times, even the ingredients such as nuts, etc. are also not mentioned that can be harmful for diners who are allergic to it. However, as per rules and regulations, eateries are obliged to mention these details for their customers, not only on their physical menus but also on their digital ones.
In November 2020, India’s food regulator authority, The Food Safety and Standards Authority (FSSAI) had released labelling and display regulations, according to which, it is mandatory for restaurants with a central licence or outlets at 10 or more locations to mention the calorific value (in kcal per serving and serving size) of items displayed on their menu cards, boards or booklets.
On Friday, the regulator sent notices to at least 16 leading eateries including some five-star hotels for not complying with these latest labelling and display norms which mandate them to mention calories count of dishes on their menus. The restaurants which fail to comply will have to shut shop, warned the FSSAI in its notices. Restaurants were required to comply with these norms by January 1, 2022. The deadline was later extended to July 1.
However, restaurant operators said the exercise is a complex one and may need more time for execution. “If a brand has 150 recipes, then all of them have to be analysed. Some chains have multiple brands and each brand could have a different cuisine or menu that could vary with states,” Kabir Suri, president of National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI), which represents more than 500,000 restaurant operators, told Times of India.
As per the FSSAI, menu labelling is meant to promote public health. It is meant to provide consumers with information to help them make well-informed choices about what they eat and feed their children when dining out, and also help them choose smaller portions. The guidance note on menu labelling from the FSSAI mentions that the calorific value of the food product or dish, allergen information and logo of vegetarian or non-vegetarian food is to be displayed on menu cards, menu boards, display boards, booklets, as well as the website, digital application, advertisement material (both digital and printed) where the menu is displayed for information or ordering.
Hence, your next visit to a restaurant must not make you feel guilty for overeating or stop you from making informed choices about your food intake.
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