U.S. Chains Start Posting Calorie Counts In Britain

Last week, about 1,200 McDonald’s restaurants in Britain began displaying the calorie count of each food and drink item on their store’s wall-mounted menu boards.

The “great reveal” is part of a government-led program to fight obesity and promote healthier eating. The Oak Brook, Ill., chain already puts calorie information on its website and the back of its tray liners, but this is the first time the numbers will be displayed prominently in its restaurants outside the U.S.

The chain has similar calorie-count menu boards in New York, which became the first American city to put a calorie posting law in place in 2008. The information will be mandatory beginning next year throughout the U.S. under the menu-labeling section of the Affordable Care Act.

In contrast, the British Dept. of Public Health’s calorie display program is voluntary, and relies on companies to fulfill their health pledges. Other chains that have signed up reportedly include Kentucky Fried Chicken, Pizza Hut and Starbucks.