Calorie labels encourage people to eat less by only a single crisp, study says
Calorie labels on menus and food packets encourage people to choose healthier options but only to the tune of 11 calories – the same as a single Pringle crisp,That is the finding of a study into how effective menu listings are at prompting consumers to select less calorific food,“Our review suggests that calorie labelling leads to a modest reduction in the calories people purchase and consume,” said Dr Gareth Hollands from the social research institute at University College London, a senior author of the findings,Displaying calorie information in cafes, restaurants and supermarkets only leads to a reduction on average of 1,8% in the total amount of calories people consumed.
That equates to just 11 calories in a typical 600-calorie meal, or the same as two almonds, Hollands added.“This review strengthens the evidence that calorie labelling can lead to small but consistent reductions in calorie selection,” said Dr Natasha Clarke of Bath Spa University, the lead author.Despite what she acknowledged was labels’ “modest” impact on the food bought, “the cumulative effect at a population level could make a meaningful contribution to public health”.The researchers reached their conclusions after reviewing 25 previous studies on the subject, involving more than 10,000 people from rich countries such as the UK, France and the US.Their study is published on Friday by the Cochrane Library, a global evidence-based medicine publisher.
Large cafes, restaurants and takeaways with more than 250 staff have been obliged by English law since April 2022 to display the calorie counts of all non-prepacked food and soft drinks they sell on their menus, online menus, third-party apps and food delivery platforms.The reduction in calorie intake from labels is so small that ministers should scrap the duty on food businesses to display the information at all, the body that represents pubs and restaurants said.“In practice, the policy has only increased costs for businesses, with many facing thousands of pounds in additional expense each year.Given these findings and the continued cost to businesses, I would urge the government to review this policy,” said Kate Nicholls, the chief executive of UKHospitality.But the Food and Drink Federation, which represents supermarkets and food producers, said labels “help consumers understand the nutrients and calories that are in the food they’re eating [and] choose lower-calorie options which can support their longer-term health.
”However, a federation spokesperson added: “Labelling alone isn’t a silver bullet for tackling the complex issue of obesity.”Experts are divided over how significant labels can be in tackling obesity.“It is debatable whether such a small change would have any impact on body weight in the long term,” said Tom Sanders, a professor emeritus of nutrition and dietetics at King’s College London.People only lose weight if they consume 200 fewer calories a day for a “prolonged” period and consumers also “get fatigue from calorie labelling in the long term”, he added.But Amanda Daley, a professor of behavioural medicine at Loughborough University, said “calorie labelling has a role to play” in efforts to help the public make healthier eating decisions.
Based on people having three meals a day, “these small amounts can add up and potentially contribute to reducing overweight in the population”.
Bank of England delays rules designed to avoid banking crash by a year
The Bank of England will further delay capital rules meant to prevent another 2008-style crash, as it weighs the impact of Donald Trump’s return to the White House and the chancellor Rachel Reeves’s call for regulators to help drive UK growth.The Bank’s regulatory arm said it was delaying the date by which banks had to implement Basel 3.1 rules by a year, to January 2027.The Bank’s regulator, the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA), said it made the decision after consulting with the Treasury, and that it had taken “competitive and growth considerations” into account.It marks the third delay by the central bank, which is buying time to see how far the Trump administration will go in watering down regulations
IMF upgrades UK growth forecast and takes swipe at Trump plans
The International Monetary Fund has upgraded its forecast for UK growth this year in an update to its biannual assessment of the global economy, while taking a swipe at plans by Donald Trump’s incoming US administration for the potentially destabilising effect of large-scale tax cuts, import tariffs and weaker regulations.In a fillip to the Labour government, the Washington-based organisation said it expected the UK economy to grow by 1.6% in 2025, up from an earlier forecast of 1.5%.The IMF judged that Labour’s increase in investment spending, improved household finances and a series of interest rate cuts by the Bank of England would give the UK economy a lift this year
Octopus overtakes British Gas as Britain’s largest household energy supplier
Octopus Energy has become Britain’s largest household energy supplier for the first time, toppling British Gas almost four decades after it was privatised under Margaret Thatcher.The energy company grew its share of the market to 23.7% of households in Great Britain by the end of last year, according to latest figures, less than a decade after it was founded by its chief executive, Greg Jackson.Octopus confirmed that it gained almost 1m new gas and electricity accounts from its rivals last year alone. It now has 12
‘He’s one of the best’: the economist shaping Rachel Reeves’s growth plans
The economist John Van Reenen lacks the public status of Gordon Brown’s “two Eds” – Balls and Miliband – who ranged across Whitehall in New Labour’s first term, enforcing the Treasury’s will. But ask today’s Labour apparatchiks about Rachel Reeves’s approach to growth, which she will set out in a speech later this month, and they often point to the chair of her council of economic advisers.Currently on leave from the London School of Economics (LSE), where he ran the Centre for Economic Performance, Van Reenen has spent his professional lifetime probing the weak spots of the UK economy.Now he is based in an office next to Reeves’s at the Treasury, with his three fellow advisers. One Labour source says they struggle to remember a consequential meeting at which Van Reenen has not been present
China’s economy hits 5% growth target but rate among slowest in decades
China’s economy grew by 5% in 2024, in line with government targets but at the slowest rate since 1990 outside the Covid pandemic, according to official data.Growth accelerated through the year, with an expansion of 5.4% in the final quarter, up from 4.6% in the third quarter, according to Beijing’s National Bureau of Statistics.The bureau reported “steady progress amid stability” but pointed to a “complicated and severe environment with increasing external pressures and internal difficulties”
Food stores in Great Britain have worst Christmas since 2013
Retailers in Great Britain experienced a surprise fall in sales volumes last month, as supermarkets and other food stores had their worst Christmas since 2013, according to official figures.The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said sales volumes fell 0.3% month on month in December, as the crucial retailing “golden quarter” of trading for the sector proved to be weak this year. Economists had expected sales to grow 0.4%
Sir David McMurtry obituary
EU asks X for internal documents about algorithms as it steps up investigation
Labour’s investment in AI isn’t as clever as it thinks it is | Letters
Can Donald Trump circumvent a TikTok ban?
Russian hackers target WhatsApp accounts of ministers worldwide
Apple suspends AI-generated news alert service after BBC complaint