Why mandatory calorie labelling could be a good thing for your business
With the new mandatory calorie labelling legislation coming in soon we look at how you can turn a big change into a business opportunity and help improve the guest experience in your venue.
The thought of dealing with another new set of rules surrounding the new calorie labelling legislation may feel like a massive headache after such a challenging couple of years. Again, the cost of implementing the huge operational and practical changes are to be absorbed by hospitality business operators. But we like to think that every change presents us with an opportunity. Whether that be a chance to look at how we run our business? Or even where we position ourselves as a brand.
In this article, we look at how and why mandatory calorie labelling could be a positive thing for your business.
Why is calorie labelling important?
Consumer habits are always changing and evolving, the pandemic has sped this up in some aspects. For example, data from CGA shows that combined delivery and takeaway sales for October 2021 were 98% higher than in October 2019, a staggering increase in just two years.
And the health of the nation remains a concern for all. Rising obesity rates reflect in more strain on health services and obesity was even identified as being a marker for higher risk from covid implications.
As business operators, it’s important to acknowledge the social responsibility we hold and evolve to match the changing landscape. Calorie labelling will help consumers make more informed choices about what they are eating and will hopefully lead to healthier choices. According to the Office of National Statistics, a third of people in the UK underestimate how many calories they eat.
So, providing consumers with the appropriate information is imperative.
How can hospitality business owners make the most of the opportunity?
Build your brand
Consumer values are constantly changing, and it’s important to communicate what your brand stands for on issues that are important to your customers.
Research conducted by Fentimans Premium Soft Drinks and Mixers in partnership with CGA in their 2022 Market Report identified consumers’ growing interest in health with 73% of consumers now trying to lead a healthier lifestyle. Concerns around health mean that consumers want to know more about the food and drink they consume, in the report 35% said that nutritional information on menus influenced their choice of what to eat.
As an operator, you can choose to use the new calorie labelling requirements to promote the healthy options on your menu and give consumers a range of calorie amounts to choose from. This will particularly help your operation align with the values of younger consumers as the report also identified that one in ten 18-24 year-olds follow a low-calorie diet.
By providing a range of options that align with the health values of your consumers you can position your brand as a health conscious one that supports the needs of your customers. And if consumers know they can count on your business to provide tasty, low-calorie options – they will be more likely to choose you again when they are looking for a restaurant experience that fits in with their diet and lifestyle.
Review your offering for consumers
In a similar vein, the calorie labelling legislation provides you with an opportunity to review your offer and how it caters to consumers. You can ensure that you build an offering that has a good mix of healthy and indulgent options. Look at your current offering and identify where you can make healthy swaps or offer low-calorie side options.
Think about how you can reduce calories in popular dishes without effecting the quality – such as finding healthier cooking options and reducing portion sizes. And also consider extending your varied offer to your delivery and takeaway options, by offering a mix of healthy and indulgent options you can cater to a wider audience.
Team training
With the introduction of any new important legislation comes a need for training. It’s important your teams know about the new guidelines, how they should be implemented and why they are important and how to answer customer queries. You should consider extending this training to help your staff understand the importance of nutrition labelling and how to help customers make informed decisions should they ask.
In addition you can use the opportunity to teach your teams more about the items on your menu, including provenance and processes – such as if your menu items have been selected based on their sustainable packaging or local source. Being able to offer tailored, informed recommendations will heighten the guest experience.
Get ahead of the legislation
The new calorie labelling guidance being introduced in April will only apply in England, but that doesn’t mean that operators in the rest of the UK should ignore the guidelines.
Being fully aware of the legislation means you can prepare in advance and consider the benefits of rolling out nutritional labelling ahead of any mandated guidance.
For example if you are already considering creating a new menu or commissioning a new run of printed menus. There are operators who have been publishing nutritional information in their venues for some time, such as pub chain JD Wetherspoons who have been publishing nutritional information since 2011. The chain actually reports that calorie labelling has not made a big different to consumer habits when choosing food and drink in their venues, but did highlight the value of transparency for their customers.
With the new legislation around the corner, it’s important to get a full understanding of the guidelines and how they will affect your operation. We put together a handy Q&A doc for operators after our recent webinar that will help answer some common queries surrounding the legislation.
