08 July 2012

Calories on Menus

This is not an issue of health standards or industry downfall. This is about the customer and their right to make indulgent decisions.

There are potential reasons for putting calorie listing on menus. For example, it might reduce obesity.  It might get some people thinking about what they order.  It might help reduce Dept. of Health bill in about 50 years.  According to the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI), 96% of consumer respondents to a recent survey believe that calories should be displayed in "all or some food outlets".  The report also emphasises that nearly 75% of food service businesses are also in support of this idea in, yet again, "all or some food outlets".  The statement is so fantastically vague and undefined, it is hard not to agree. 

The other side of the argument suggests that calorie listing will be the downfall of the industry; a costly and indulgent project with little benefit for the consumer or the producer.  Indeed, this extends to a conspiracy theory that this act of Governance (big G) by the Dept. of Health (DOH) is simply another money making racket for friends of the FSAI. There is also a more worrying concern that calorie listing on menus will limit the Irish chef community to boring repetitive menus, with no room for flare, imagination, eccentricities and skill.

I am non-plussed with any of these positions. The FSAI Press Release, and the recommendations included, are based on a flawed and spun analysis of what people actually think.  The report stands only to support the DOH in their policy direction.  However, if the Minister insists on pushing the agenda, it will not result in the downfall of the industry. We are country of capable foodies and business people with a growing recognition of the quality of Irish food produce and recognition of new ethnic food influences.  The industry will survive, perhaps at some cost in the short run, but it will survive.

My concern is for the customer experience.  More accurately, my concern is for me 'the purveyor' but also me 'the customer, the eater, the consumer', the person who pays to experience the offering of a venue, whether restaurant, bar, cafe, or pub.  When I pay a bill -  consciously or not - I analyse the value of what I have been charged for.  Did I enjoy the food?  Was I impressed by the service, welcome and goodbye?  Did I feel comfortable in the chair I was sitting in and did it fit with the rest of the decor?  Did the atmosphere live up to my expectations? This is 'industry-me', an unavoidable by-product of my career choice but one which I love.

More than anything else however, me 'the customer' simply wants to walk out the door with a smile on my face, feeling better from my indulgent experience.  This is the key....it is an indulgence.  The act of dining-out, no matter how small, is one of escapism, a treat, a method of spoiling myself to distract from the humdrum of normal surrounds.  Whether buying a coffee in the morning, meeting colleagues for lunch or gathering friends for dinner, these are all things can be done more cheaply in the office or at home. 



The active decision to move these opportunities to a coffee house or restaurant is one of individual choice.  It is an act of pure indulgence.  It does not matter if the order is a decaf americano (x calories) or a cappuccino with full-fat milk and a scone with full fat butter and jam (x+y+z calories).  As soon as the customer enters a food outlet, everything they purchase is an indulgence of their own choice.  The calorie content of their purchase should be of no concern to the food seller.  'Food outlets' should be left to focus on their warmth, their welcome, their service, their hygiene and their quality of produce.  They should not be used as a mouth-piece for the DOH.  Such efforts will detract from the customer experience, which we value so highly. 

Insistence by the DOH on the addition of calorie counts to menus is a puritanical act.  It smacks of nanny statism.  The DOH should be asking bigger questions of obesity problems in this country.  Why are the cereal companies allowed sell their wares in big bright coloured boxes with big bright coloured advertisements that catch the eye of my young nephew?  Why, in a country in which it rains so much, are we not energising the development of local amenities to encourage fitness and activity throughout the year and not just in summer? Why is there no real infrastructure in support of the Bike-To-Work scheme, like bike lanes and secure bike-parks?  Why are leading chefs not brought into schools, colleges and universities to teach healthy cooking and eating to students? 

Health at its basic level is about fitness, self-awareness and self-management - individual choices. 



Create a bike path from my door to my place of work and I will ride a bike not the bus. Leave my indulgences alone.



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