Minister: Calorie legislation not being ruled out

Legislation will be used to force food outlets to display calories on menus if there is resistance to the move, Health Minister Dr James Reilly has warned.

Dr Reilly was speaking at yesterday’s launch by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) of a national consultation on putting calorie information on menus in Ireland. The initiative to mark calorie information on menus was announced by Dr Reilly last year.

“We will go further than nudging those within the industry in the right direction. We will legislate — the future of our children is at stake here,” he said.