Should it go ahead, The Times reported that the plan “to put the whole of the UK on a diet” is due out in March, and will see PHE “work with the food industry to reduce the calories in everyday food,” said its chief nutritionist, Alison Tedstone.
With guidelines suggesting thatwomen should eat 2,000 calories and men 2,500 a day, Tedstone said “people eat 200-300 calories too many a day,” and has lead to the fact that 27% of UK adults are currently obese and 36% more overweight.
Set to affect companies industry-wide, fast food chains such as KFC (whose Mighty Bucket for One comes in at 1,235 calories) and McDonald’s (a Big Mac and fries setting you back 845 calories) will no doubt be hit the hardest. Other comparisons include PizzaExpress’s Margherita (729 calories) and a Nando’s chicken burger and chips (832 calories).
Tedstone concluded: “This is all about things like pizzas and readymade sandwiches. We will need to set out guidelines and, I suspect, a series of calorie caps” to reduce overeating and a national obesity crisis.