Cancer Council Victoria is calling for mandatory kilojoule labeling on fast food menus after new research proved the measure can help people reduce their calorie intake.
The international research, carried out with 635 adults in Canada and published this month, found that diners who had kilojoule labelling on their menus ate fewer calories as a result.
Cancer Council Victoria CEO Todd Harper said this added to the weight of evidence already available to the Victorian government, which should join with other states and territories in making it mandatory for fast food outlets to declare kilojoules next to menu items.
“People are eating out every day and they have a right to know what they are ordering. If there is consistent kilojoule labelling on the menus of all Victorian fast food chains then it will be much easier for people make healthier choices for themselves and their families,” Mr Harper said.
“Almost two in three Victorians are now overweight or obese. We must act decisively to help turn this epidemic around, and kilojoule labelling is one of the important measures needed.”
He said such a move would not only help tackle the obesity epidemic, but would also be welcomed by a majority of the public.
In fact, a new survey commissioned by the Obesity Policy Coalition shows that nine out of 10 people would applaud the Victorian government for joining with NSW, SA and the ACT to include kilojoule labelling on fast food menus.
The survey, carried out with 1240 adults, revealed that 90% would be in favour of including kilojoule information on chain fast food menu boards, and 71% would use the information when choosing what food to buy.
Obesity Policy Coalition Executive Manager Jane Martin said: “If people have this information in front of them at the fast food counter, research has shown they will use it to choose foods with lower energy.”
“To truly empower consumers to make healthier choices, however, it’s also important for the state government to couple menu labelling with an education campaign to help Victorians understand what the numbers on the menu boards mean.”
At the moment it is optional for fast food chains in Victoria to display kilojoules on menus, and a recent audit carried out by the Heart Foundation found only 27% of franchises in the state were doing so.
Mandatory kilojoule labelling is already in place in NSW, the ACT and South Australia.
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