Country Choice lines up for labelling change

Country Choice has developed a comprehensive initiative that will allow its customers to comply with the Government’s calorie labelling regulations in the out of home sector, which are coming into force on April 6 this year.

The mandatory regulations apply to businesses with 250 or more employees. If such a business is selling food for immediate consumption that is either loose, pre-packed for direct sale, or made to order, it must display two key messages: the energy content of the food in kilocalories (kcal) with reference to the portion size to which the calorie information relates and the calorie needs statement that "adults need around 2000 kcal a day". This information can be provided on a label or menu either next to, or in close proximity to, the item.

In response to the new regulations Country Choice has amended its printer labels, adding the calorie information, serving sizes, and needs statement under the ingredients and descriptor. The plain 40mm and 80mm shelf-edge labels also now carry the relevant messages, prominently displayed alongside the usual information. At the same time, the company’s menu templates have been updated to include calorie content per serving size beneath each item. All new, compliant labelling and packaging will be distributed from early March, ready for the April changeover.

“The new regulations, instigated as part of the Government’s drive to tackle obesity by helping the public to make healthier choices when eating out, have the potential to create a lot of extra work for our customers,” said Country Choice’s Head of Marketing, Phil Carratt. “Our labelling solutions, which will be rolled out in plenty of time for the changes, have tackled the requirements head on and made it easy for our customers to comply with the rules in the simplest and quickest way possible.”