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Case/Article Review 14
You have two minutes to read the enclosed article, and you will subsequently be asked a range of questions by the interviewer. You may wish to make notes, however please note you will not be allowed to refer to your notes or the article during the discussion.
Plans to force restaurants in England to put calorie counts on menus could push up prices and lead to thousands of job losses, the Treasury has warned. Some big chains like McDonalds and Wetherspoons already print the calories of dishes on their menus. The Department of Health wants to make it a legal requirement as part of its childhood obesity strategy. But the Treasury has said small independent cafes and restaurants should be exempt from the move.
Chief Secretary to the Treasury Liz Truss has said the policy would be a burden on 26,000 small businesses and could lead to job cuts. The Treasury estimates that working out the precise calorie count of individual dishes could cost up to £500 and menus would have to be reprinted when recipes changed, adding further costs. The Department of Health and Social Care is set to launch a consultation on the plans and has said exempting small restaurants will be considered as part of that. A spokesman for the department said: "The government announced its intention to consult on mandatory calorie labelling on menus as part of the second chapter of the childhood obesity plan in July and we will set out our next steps in due course."
(Adapted from: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-45420835)
Chief Secretary to the Treasury Liz Truss has said the policy would be a burden on 26,000 small businesses and could lead to job cuts. The Treasury estimates that working out the precise calorie count of individual dishes could cost up to £500 and menus would have to be reprinted when recipes changed, adding further costs. The Department of Health and Social Care is set to launch a consultation on the plans and has said exempting small restaurants will be considered as part of that. A spokesman for the department said: "The government announced its intention to consult on mandatory calorie labelling on menus as part of the second chapter of the childhood obesity plan in July and we will set out our next steps in due course."
(Adapted from: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-45420835)
Outline the main issues raised.
Average Candidate Response
This article discusses the financial costs for restaurants, especially smaller independent restaurants, should they have to publish the number of calories that each meal contains. The consequence of this could be higher costs, and potentially more unemployment.
This article discusses the financial costs for restaurants, especially smaller independent restaurants, should they have to publish the number of calories that each meal contains. The consequence of this could be higher costs, and potentially more unemployment.
Excellent Candidate Response
The main issue brought to light in this article is the potential negative consequences of displaying the calorie content of dishes. Currently, large chain restaurants provide these figures on their menus, however there are plans to extend this practice to smaller establishments, to help tackle the growing prevalence of childhood obesity.
A benefit of implementing this policy is that it could help tackle overeating. By encouraging customers to be aware of certain dishes that have a high number of calories, it would allow them to plan their meal to ensure that their daily calorie count is not exceeded. This could in turn lower the consequent risk of becoming overweight or obese. This scheme could also potentially incentivise establishments to provide meal options with fewer calories, to meet the demand for such dishes. An additional argument for encouraging all establishments to display the calorie content of meals, is that it could give customers a sense of autonomy. By displaying these figures, visitors would be provided with the full nutritional content of their food, allowing them to make a decision on which dish to choose; it could be argued that by not providing calorie contents of foods, consumers no longer have the means to make such a choice.
However, one must consider the knock on effects that this policy could have on smaller restaurants or cafes. Customers may be put off by the high calorie contents of certain dishes, resulting in less service and thus a reduced income for these institutions; this could consequently lead to widespread job losses. Furthermore, as calculating these figures and altering the menus costs a considerable amount of money, there would be additional financial deficits.
For this reason, whilst providing these figures would help in tackling the issue of childhood obesity, this policy must be implemented in a way that would ensure smaller businesses do not suffer. For example, it could be an opt-in system, with financial incentives being provided to those who do participate.
The main issue brought to light in this article is the potential negative consequences of displaying the calorie content of dishes. Currently, large chain restaurants provide these figures on their menus, however there are plans to extend this practice to smaller establishments, to help tackle the growing prevalence of childhood obesity.
A benefit of implementing this policy is that it could help tackle overeating. By encouraging customers to be aware of certain dishes that have a high number of calories, it would allow them to plan their meal to ensure that their daily calorie count is not exceeded. This could in turn lower the consequent risk of becoming overweight or obese. This scheme could also potentially incentivise establishments to provide meal options with fewer calories, to meet the demand for such dishes. An additional argument for encouraging all establishments to display the calorie content of meals, is that it could give customers a sense of autonomy. By displaying these figures, visitors would be provided with the full nutritional content of their food, allowing them to make a decision on which dish to choose; it could be argued that by not providing calorie contents of foods, consumers no longer have the means to make such a choice.
However, one must consider the knock on effects that this policy could have on smaller restaurants or cafes. Customers may be put off by the high calorie contents of certain dishes, resulting in less service and thus a reduced income for these institutions; this could consequently lead to widespread job losses. Furthermore, as calculating these figures and altering the menus costs a considerable amount of money, there would be additional financial deficits.
For this reason, whilst providing these figures would help in tackling the issue of childhood obesity, this policy must be implemented in a way that would ensure smaller businesses do not suffer. For example, it could be an opt-in system, with financial incentives being provided to those who do participate.