Eating disorder charity, Beat say new calorie labelling legislation could ‘increase fixation’

Earlier this week we reported on the government mandated ruling that all restaurants and takeaway venues with 250 plus members of staff must, as of the 6th of April start printing calorie information on their menus. It is unsurprising that this legislation might have a negative impact on people with eating disorders or those vulnerable to developing one. As a follow up to our initial article, we spoke to Tom Quinn, the Director of External Affairs at Beat, a national eating disorder charity who have been campaigning against the legislation since it’s announcement in 2018.

Written by Bryony Porteous-Sebouhian

Safeguarding people with an eating disorder from further distress

Beat’s position on this legislation has been clear from the start, and Tom Quinn’s own articulation reflects that stance:

“We are extremely disappointed that the Government has made calories on menus mandatory in England, despite evidence that it causes anxiety and distress for people affected by eating disorders.”

“We know from the people we support that including calories on menus can contribute to harmful eating disorder thoughts and behaviours worsening, for instance it can increase a fixation on restricting calories for those with anorexia or bulimia, or increase feelings of guilt for those with binge eating disorder.”

Responding to the official rollout of the legislation on Wednesday, Beat posted a series of Tweets expressing their concern. Interestingly, this thread received some backlash, mostly from what seemed like uninformed members of the public who don’t have lived experience of having or knowing someone with an eating disorder (ED). Many of these people saw it as a positive move towards tackling obesity.

However, some of the responses were from people claiming to have, or have had an eating disorder, who supported the new legislation, with one person saying “Information is power, and helps decision making.”

Asking Beat about this discourse, Tom said:

“We have been speaking to people with lived experience of eating disorders about this legislation to ensure that we are reflecting the views of the community we support. For instance, in 2021, we surveyed over 1,100 people and asked what they thought about the introduction of calories on menus.”

“95% of the people who responded were currently unwell with an eating disorder, had recovered from an eating disorder, or had supported a loved one with their eating disorder. We found that 93% of survey respondents said this legislation would be negative or very negative for people living with eating disorders, and 89% said they did not support the introduction of mandatory calorie labelling on menus.”

Tom explained that although the evidence from the survey suggested the majority of people with an ED or who support someone with an ED, agree that the calorie labelling could be harmful, people who have an ED are not a monolith. Beat understands that some things will work for some whilst they are triggering for others, “We appreciate that people will have different thoughts and experiences about issues that impact people with eating disorders.”

Calorie counting as an entry into disordered eating

Aside from the fact that calories don’t actually give people accurate nutritional information, with or without an ED, calorie counting can be a slippery slope toward disordered or restricted eating. Addressing this Tom said:

“Whilst somebody wouldn't develop an eating disorder simply by reading calories on a menu, calorie counting can contribute to an eating disorder developing for the first time for somebody who is already vulnerable to these serious mental illnesses. It can also exacerbate symptoms for somebody who already has an eating disorder and keep them unwell for longer.”

“Eating disorders impact around 1.25 million people in the UK of all ages, genders and backgrounds. More people than ever before have been needing eating disorder treatment during the pandemic, with some developing an eating disorder for the first time, others experiencing worsening symptoms during their existing illness, and some experiencing a relapse.”?

“It's crucial that the Government considers the impact on people with eating disorders at every stage of creating health policies, to protect those affected by these serious mental illnesses.”

Much of the fair and objective discourse around this issue online has come to a conclusion that two menus should be provided, one with calorie labelling and one without. However, this is not a specified part of the legislation and therefore cannot exactly be policed. Tom and Beat, hope that despite this, all venues involved in this new legislation will decide to provide this alternative menu.

“We urge all restaurants, cafes and takeaways impacted by this new legislation to provide menus without calories, as well as the Government mandated menus. This would provide an alternative for those who find calorie labelling difficult and help to reduce the feelings of anxiety felt at the dinner table.”

Of course, this isn’t a catch-all solution. It requires the person with an ED to be actively working toward recovery to ask for the non-calorie labelled menu.?

Spotting the signs of an eating disorder in yourself or someone you know might be harder than you’d think. If you, a friend, loved one or family member is struggling with an eating disorder, Beat provide support, information packs and guidance which you can find here.?

Beat have also put together an advice package for eating out under this new legislation, you can read that here.?

If you’re worried about your own or someone else’s health, you can contact Beat, the UK’s eating disorder charity, 365 days a year on 0808 801 0677 or beateatingdisorders.org.uk??