Calorie Labelling in the 'out of home' sector

The 'out of home' sector is where food or drink is prepared ready for immediate consumption, on or off the premises, but which is not prepacked.

Businesses that need to display calorie labels

The The Calorie Labelling (Out of Home Sector) (England) Regulations 2021 apply to

• large businesses with 250 or more full or part-time staff
• businesses selling ready-to-eat food through online platforms
• franchise businesses with more than 250 staff calculated across entire franchise

 The type of businesses that may need to comply include:

• restaurants, fast food outlets, cafes, pubs, and supermarkets
• home delivery services and third-party apps selling food that is in scope
• cafes and takeaways within larger shops and venues, such as supermarkets, department stores, and entertainment venues
• specialist food stores, delicatessens, sweet shops, and bakeries
• contract catering - for example, for events and canteens
• domestic transport businesses including planes, trains, boats

The following are exempt:

• care homes
• hospitals
• work canteens
• educational establishments (for the 18 and under)

Types of food

Food requiring calorie labelling:

• food offered for sale in a form which is suitable for immediate consumption
• loose food
• pre-packed foods for direct sale
• food packed at the request of the consumer

This includes hot drinks, bakery items, ready to eat pies, pizzas, and sandwiches.

The following are exempt:

• pre-packed food items
• condiments provided to be added by a consumer to their food 
• food items on sale for less than 30 consecutive days, and a total of 30 days in a calendar year
• alcoholic drinks containing more than 1.2% alcohol by volume (ABV)
• loaves of bread or baguettes
• fish, meat, or cheese, if they are not added to other food, or offered for sale as an ingredient in food consisting of more than one ingredient
• unprocessed products consisting of a single ingredient
• food which is not normally included on a business's menu but is supplied, at the express request of a customer

How to display the calorie information

Businesses will need to:

• display the energy content of the food and drink in kilocalories (kcal)
• reference the size of the portion to which the calorie information relates
• display the statement that 'adults need around 2000 kcal a day'
• where food is chosen from a menu, calorie information must be on the menu, next to the description or price of the food
• where food is chosen from items on display, it must be on a label identifying the food, next to or near the item
• for food that is prepacked for direct sale, calorie information may be displayed on its packaging as an alternative to a label

Businesses will need to display the same information online as they would in store.

Information must be easily visible and clearly legible.

How to calculate calories

MenuCal is a free menu calculator tool to calculate the calories per recipe and / or portion. You could also send your food to a laboratory for nutritional analysis.

Further advice

The Government's Gov.uk: Calorie labelling in the out of home sector and Gov.uk: Guidance on nutrition and health claims on foods provide additional information.