McDonald’s’ move to list the calorie-count for their food items is in response to the UK government’s Public Health Responsibility Deal — a series of voluntary pledges aimed at involving the food industry in the fight against health problems such as obesity.
Other major food chains such as KFC and Pizza Hut have also introduced calorie labelling in the UK, and Starbucks and Burger King will roll out their calorie-labelling pledge from 2012.
The Department of Health (UK) says that calorie labelling “makes people more aware of the energy content of their foods and does influence people’s choices. What we eat, how much we drink and how active we are is heavily shaped by our environment. Creating the right environment can encourage and empower people to take responsibility for their health and make healthy choices.”