Nutrition details on menus leave Asian eateries in UK in a pickle

Asian eateries believe the cost and time involved would be too much of a burden, and the onus should be on councils and the government to educate the public about healthy eating choices.

• Nadeem Badshah
• 26 October, 2024

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By: Nadeem Badshah

RESTAURANT and takeaway bosses have hit back at calls for them to include more information on menus about salt and calorie content in the dishes.

They believe the cost and time involved would be too much of a burden, and the onus should be on councils and the government to educate the public about healthy eating choices.

Earlier this year, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) called for a crackdown on local takeaways to provide more information in a bid to tackle Britain’s obesity crisis. The BRC warned in May a lot of small eateries were flying under the radar.

Cyrus Todiwala OBE, a chef who owns restaurants around London, said local councils need to take a more serious approach to tackling the issue.

He told Eastern Eye: “I used to hold classes for Tower Hamlets environmental health officers to talk to owners of the chicken joints and it had some effect, but not much.

“Everything boils down to cost and what they sell the food at.

“Supermarkets can make rapid decisions because all they have to do is put pressure on their suppliers.

“However, the bulk of the cheaper fast food outlets are not educated enough in food science or health issues, and it is not fair to blame them.”

Owners of south Asian takeaways said other than allergy information, they have not updated their menus to include information on calories or salt amounts.

Ruhul Tarafder, who runs the Jhal Chilli takeaway in Maidstone, Kent, told Eastern Eye: “It is a good idea, but how practical is it? It will add more burden on the takeaways. Indian food is healthy at the same time – haldi [turmeric] has scientifically proven benefits of eating Indian spices, contrary to popular belief.

“Tandoori food is healthy as it is made in a clay oven and uses a minimum amount of oil.

“One of the compliments we get from customers is that not much oil is used and our food is not greasy.

“Any good chef is able to make food with minimal oil and ghee.”

It is a challenging time for south Asian takeaways with trade down due to the cost of living crisis and the cost of ingredients increasing.

An Indian takeaway is five per cent more expensive than a year ago, the Office for National Statistics reported.

And figures in June showed spending on takeaways has dropped for the first time since the 2020 lockdown. Expenditure on fast food and deliveries fell 0.2 per cent last month. Research by Barclaycard said 54 per cent of people in Britain claimed they were cutting back on takeaways to save money.

Nafees Ali, a head chef at an Indian takeaway in London, said: “Our menu is very traditional. It hasn’t moved to the new trend where people are adding in the nutritional value.

“It is an old school takeaway, the owner has kept it very basic.

“The only information is about allergies and for example, the mixed biryani will state it has lamb, chicken, prawns and alternatives like rice and potatoes.

“If you eat Indian food in general, you won’t be checking your calories – it is old school comfort food.”

Recent government data showed the percentage of adults from black, south Asian and Chinese backgrounds who ate five portions of fruit or vegetables a day was lower than the national average.

Among people of Asian heritage, only a fifth ate the recommended daily portion of fruit and vegetables, compared to the average of 32.5 per cent.

Manju Malhi BEM, a chef and food author, said: “From what I know and have explored, I have not found a takeaway that displays calorie and salt content. I feel it depends on whether the customers of takeaways understand the calorie and salt content figures displayed, and whether they would actually think again about purchasing a dish because of the high calorie and salt content.

“So, all good in displaying figures, but do people really understand what they mean and the impact that it would have on their health?

“Plus, I could understand takeaways not displaying calorie and salt content because they would possibly be turning customers away, thus impacting their small businesses.”