North Wales MS Mark Isherwood has again highlighted the negative impact that mandatory calorie labelling on menus could have on those living with eating disorders and urged the Welsh Government to pause the introduction of this in Wales.
Responding to the Statement from the Deputy Minister for Mental Health and Well-being in yesterday’s meeting of the Welsh Parliament, updating Members on Healthy Food Environment legislation, Mr Isherwood called on Ministers in Cardiff to follow Scotland’s lead by taking into consideration the concerns of people with eating disorders regarding the proposal and pausing the introduction of such potentially harmful legislation.
He said:
“Speaking here last December, I warned of the negative impact that the introduction of mandatory calorie labelling on menus could have on those living with eating disorders, quoting a survey conducted by Beat, the UK's eating disorder charity, that asked those in Wales living with or affected by eating disorders to give their thoughts on the proposal, where 98 per cent of respondents felt that this would have a negative impact on them.
“However, the Welsh Government's proposed legislation, as you've indicated, included plans to mandate the labelling of calories on menus. And Beat have advised me that while there's very limited evidence to suggest that calorie labelling improves health on a population level, there is good evidence to show that it causes significant harm to people with eating disorders. And we've heard reference to the Scottish Government having paused plans to introduce this legislation in Scotland, having taken into consideration the concerns of people with eating disorders.
“So, I will repeat the question, but be very specific: how will the Deputy Minister, therefore, respond to calls by Beat, the Royal College of Psychiatrists and the Royal College of Nursing for the Welsh Government to follow in the Scottish Government's footsteps and pause the introduction of calorie labelling on menus in its proposed subordinate legislation, at least until research is published on the impact of such measures on those living with eating disorders?”
The Deputy Minister, Lynne Neagle, responded:
“We haven't made an announcement as part of what we're announcing today that we are moving ahead on this, because we want to see the outcome of the research that's happening in England and in Scotland, and we want to give further consideration to this issue. “
