The Government's plans to introduce mandatory calorie information on menus in restaurants may be stepped up after a recent survey showed only seven per cent of restaurants are choosing to display calories.
A low level of voluntary adoption by restaurants on menus would suggest a lack of enthusiasm for the new measures, as a lot of voices in the industry have expressed their disapproval already.
According to the Irish Independent, the survey was commissioned by the Department of Health, proving how few restaurants choose to display calories, despite Health Minister Leo Varadkar's claims that "95 per cent of consumers in Ireland want the calorie count of meals displayed on menus".
"It's a proven way of changing consumer behaviour, and independent evidence from the USA shows that calorie posting is very effective. So the results of this survey are very surprising," said Varadkar.
The Restaurants Association of Ireland has previously questioned just how effective it can be and claimed it would "stifle creativity" in restaurants.
