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KFC and McDonalds Will Be Ordered To 'Calorie Cap' Their Food

KFC and McDonalds Will Be Ordered To 'Calorie Cap' Their Food

Popular high street favourites are set to have their calories slashed after an order to 'cap' fast food and ready meals

Chris Ogden

Chris Ogden

For most normal Brits, greasy fast food or an easy ready meal can be just the thing to fall back on after you've had a hard day at work (or a heavy night out).

But high street favourites like McDonalds and KFC are likely to change for good in the UK as supermarkets and fast food chains have been ordered to 'calorie cap' food.

The shake-up of 'out-of-home food', which includes ready meals, has been ordered by authorities in a bid to tackle the UK's growing problem with obesity, which now affects more than one in four adults.

PA

According to Public Health England (PHE), the government's health agency which ordered the change, chains will be expected to gradually cut calories from their products over several years.

In March, PHE will also be announcing the first results of its sugar-cutting plan, the sort of scheme which recently led to Scotland's fave soft drink Irn-Bru changing its recipe.

"This is about looking at the 75 percent of calories that are not covered by the sugar reduction programme," said chief PHE nutritionist Dr Alison Tedstone.

"This is about things like pizzas [and] ready-made sandwiches, and setting out guidelines for them.

"We've got KFC at the back - chicken and chips. We will be talking to you."

One fast food offering that health experts will be glad to see the back of is KFC's Mighty Bucket for One. The beast of a bucket contains 1,235 calories - double the recommended calories for a meal.

Official guidelines advise men not to consume more than 2,500 calories a day - 2,000 a day for women - unless they exercise on a regular basis. With stats like this, it's easy to see why health bods are piling in on fast food chains.

PA

PSE's plan for the food industry will run alongside a new public education programme called One You, which will educate people on the amount of calories they should have in each of their meals.

The One You programme will tell people they should eat no more than 400 calories for breakfast, 600 for lunch and 600 for dinner. That leaves 400 calories for snacks and drinks.

If the food industry does what it's been asked to, there's no need to worry about settling for a leaf of lettuce for lunch.

Done right, the plan will help people eat the same meals in a healthier way. Can't see the problem with that.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Food, UK News, News, Fast Food