Yo! Sushi and Pizza Hut put calories on their menus

Yo! Sushi and Pizza Hut put calories on their menu according to Restaurant Magazine.

This shows that the branded restaurant sector is moving towards the Government recommendation of publicising nutrition information.

Pizza Hut has 400 sites in the UK making it the largest operator in the country to commit to nutritional labelling.Yo! Sushi will have 54 of its sites including calorie information when its manu changes later this year.

The Department of Health Responsibility Deal allows companies to make pledges on issues around public health.

Click the link below to watch the video discussion.

Video which shows calorie discussion for menus

Chef Alexis Gauthier has added calorie information to the menu at his London restaurant Gauthier Soho after feeling a ‘moral obligation’ to supply customers with nutritional information.

Alexis Gauthier, outside Gauthier Soho where calorie labelling is now featuring on menus

A health scare and trips to New York, where information is widely available, inspired the chef to find out the calorific value of each dish on his menu and present the information to customers of his 70-cover restaurant, which opened just over a year ago.

“Quite simply, when I go out to eat, I want this information. I believe others do too,” he said.

Despite a lack of proof that diners are willing to change their eating habits, the hospitality industry has been warned to start thinking about calorie counting their menus before EU legislation is introduced.

The British Hospitality Association claims evidence showing a link between calorie labelling and healthy consumer choices is ‘sketchy’

Currently the European Union controls food legislation for all member states, meaning the UK Department of Health does not have the power to force businesses to print calorie information on their menus.

However, despite a lack of evidence that diners are actively looking to change their eating habits, the British Hospitality Association believes such legislation may be passed by 2013.