A Big Mac has 508. Wagamama’s hot chicken katsu curry has 1,089. And a large mixed grill with chips at Wetherspoon’s has 2,052. But will knowing how many calories are in a restaurant meal help make a difference to the UK’s obesity epidemic?
From April, all cafes and restaurants run by companies with more than 250 staff will be obliged to include calorie counts for each item on their menus. The government hopes this will encourage people to make healthier choices and nudge restaurants towards offering healthier options.
But many of the UK’s largest chains have told the Observer that they are not changing their menus as a result of the new regulations, and obesity campaigners say that the measure is unlikely to have any impact.
Stuart Flint, an associate professor of the psychology of obesity at Leeds University and a director of Obesity UK, which supports overweight people, said it was unclear who the new rules would help.
“It might not be helpful,” he said. “We need to really understand how people are going to engage with this. Is it going to mean that people only look…
