Fitter Future For All Thanks to Launch of Menucal
- The FSA in NI launch free online tool for the food industry to help businesses manage information about the food they serve.
- The launch is part of a conference to update on the government strategy ‘A Fitter Future for All’, tackling overweight and obesity in NI.
- With 1 in 6 meals being eaten out of the home, educating consumers on their Calorie intake is of paramount importance.
Friday 25th September, Belfast: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) in NI has just launched its free business tool, MenuCal, designed to help caterers manage allergen information and calculate Calories for the food they serve. By displaying this information the tool will serve to improve consumers’ diets by helping them make healthier choices whilst increasing the profitability of food businesses in NI.
MenuCal has been designed to help food businesses provide information to their customers about the 14 main allergen ingredients. Businesses are required by law to declare if any of these allergens are in the food they serve. The 14 allergens range from widely known ingredients such as peanuts and milk, to less widely recognised allergens including mustard and lupin seeds, which are often used in flour. This tool will mean businesses can be assured that the information they have to provide to customers is correct and means consumers can feel more confident to ask about allergenic ingredients when eating out.
In addition, MenuCal can calculate the energy values (kilojoules and kilocalories) of the food that businesses serve. Using this tool, businesses have the potential to increase their profitability by making smarter choices about the food they serve, tailoring their portion sizes to reduce the food’s energy value or changing the ingredients to give a healthier option.
Julie McKinstry-Harvey, Senior Dietary Health Advisor at the Food Standards Agency, commented on yesterday’s launch: “We have developed MenuCal to support NI food businesses to be compliant with current legislation on allergens, and also help them influence consumers on making smarter, healthier choices when it comes to eating out or buying food to take away.
“An evaluation of our successful pilot scheme, CalorieWise, in 2012, told us that food businesses needed technical support to be able to analyse recipes quickly and accurately. Using these insights, we developed MenuCal. It’s a complete package, giving both businesses and consumers confidence in the accuracy of allergen information and the Calorie content of food.
“MenuCal is free for food businesses to use. It is a simple, user-friendly online tool which aims to help businesses provide accurate information about the food that they are serving. All you have to do is create your own private profile on the MenuCal tool, to add your recipes and store cupboard ingredients. This can be done using a computer, tablet or even a smartphone, so it is easy to update recipes or ingredients change.”
In addition to launching MenuCal, the ‘Better Choice, Better Business’ conference was jointly hosted by the FSA and the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS) to update the food industry on the revised outcomes in ‘A Fitter Future for All’, the Government’s strategy for preventing and addressing the issues of overweight and obesity in Northern Ireland. The event was the first event of its kind in Northern Ireland with over 150 representatives from the Northern Ireland food industry, environmental health community and public health professionals attending the Stormont Hotel event.
The FSA will roll out a programme of engagement over the coming months, with Environmental Health Officers to provide training and encourage local, small to medium sized businesses to use MenuCal.
For more information on MenuCal and to sign up for free visit menucalni.co.uk
