Restaurants should reduce calories in pizzas, French fries and garlic bread by up to 20% to fight obesity during COVID-19, the British government says

 Restaurants should reduce calories in pizzas, French fries and garlic bread by up to 20% to fight obesity during COVID-19, the British government says

The food industry should reduce the number of calories in meals by a fifth to help curb obesity in the UK, the country's public health body said on Monday. The targets differ for cafes, restaurants, takeaways and supermarkets - but all measures are voluntary, which health groups have criticised. The guidelines were published after research showed that obesity increases the risk of developing a serious disease COVID-19. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more articles.
Shops and restaurants should reduce the calories of their pizzas, fries and garlic bread, the UK government has said, following research that suggests that being overweight increases the risk of dying from COVID-19.
New government guidelines released Monday say coffee shops, restaurants and takeaways should reduce the calories of most of their meals by 20 percent. Grocery stores should reduce the calories of prepared meals, fries and garlic bread by 10% - but for pizzas, this should be 20% reduction.
PHE published these guidelines after its research showed that being overweight increases the risk of dying from COVID-19. People with morbid obesity account for only 2.9% of the UK population, but nearly 8% of all critical cases of COVID-19 in intensive care units, according to data from the National Centre for Audit and Research on Intensive Care.
PHE has set stricter targets for restaurants, cafes and takeaways, as research shows that people consume an average of 200 more calories per day when eating on-site compared to grocery food. Restaurant pizzas and takeaways can contain up to 1,000 calories more than those in stores and supermarkets, PHE said.
These measures are only voluntary - companies will not be penalized if they do not follow them. Health groups say fines or taxes would make the guidelines more effective.
"It's about expanding consumer choice and making the healthiest choice the easiest choice," said Dr. Alison Tedstone, PHE's Chief NutritionIst. "The progress made to date in reducing sugar and salt has shown that this can be done without compromising taste and quality."
Latest in obesity measures
These guidelines are the latest in a series of anti-obesity measures introduced by the UK government. In July, it announced that it would ban television and online advertisements for foods high in fat, sugar and salt before 9 p.m., and that it would require large restaurants, cafes and takeaways to display calorie content on their menus.
However, the National Obesity Forum accused the government of giving the "green light to promote junk food" after the national "Eat Out to Help Out" program offered customers 50% discounts in August for sit-down meals. The program, designed to encourage spending in restaurants and cafes, included fast food chains such as McDonald's, Burger King and KFC.
On Monday, British supermarket Sainsbury's began awarding additional points to customers who buy more fruit and vegetables than usual.