Some of the high street's biggest fast-food chains including Burger King, Pizza Hut, KFC, Subway have signed up to a government-backed scheme to list the calorie content in their food.
Seventeen restaurant chains and catering companies have pledged to give consumers more information about what they are eating. They have signed up to strict criteria set out by the Foods Standards Agency (FSA), working with the Department of Health.
They must:
• Show the number of calories in each portion in writing that is clear and at least as prominent as the name or price of the product
• Display calorie information for most of the food and drink they serve
• Print calorie information on menu boards, paper menus or on the edge of shelves
By the end of June, 350 outlets belonging to the firms which signed up to the scheme will have menus carrying calorie information, and more companies are expected to follow suit in the coming months, the FSA said.
The 17 firms that have signed up are: Wimpy, Burger King, Compass Group UK and Ireland, which runs staff canteens at the Post Office, the Co-operative supermarket cafes ISS Mediclean, which runs staff canteens in hospitals, KFC, Marks and Spencer Revive cafes, Chessington World of Adventures theme park, operated by Merlin Entertainments Group, Harvester and Scream pubs, operated by Mitchells and Butlers, Pizza Hut, Pret A Manger, Sainsbury's cafes, Sodexo, which runs restaurants and cafes in military barracks, Subway, Unilever staff canteens, Waitrose cafes, and 7 Day Catering, which runs restaurants in colleges,
The public health minister, Dawn Primarolo, said: "People want to easily see how many calories are in the food and drink they order when they eat out. This ground-breaking group of companies will help people to know what's in the food they are eating. I want to see more companies and more outlets to help even more people live healthier lives."
Tim Smith, chief executive of the FSA, said: "We are really pleased that such a diverse range of companies has agreed to work with us by introducing calorie labelling at the crucial point where their customers make a decision about what to eat.
"Our aim is to ensure that consumers have better information so they can make informed choices to improve their diet when eating out, whether that is a snack on-the-go, a meal in a staff restaurant or at a table being served by a waiter."
Some supermarkets, including Sainsbury's, Waitrose and Marks and Spencer have signed up to a separate traffic lights labelling scheme. This offers a simple red, amber and green guide to nutrition.
But many firms in the food industry favour a plan to provide percentage figures of guideline daily amounts (GDA) for calories, sugar, salt and fat.
Many health charities, including the British Heart Foundation, back the traffic lights scheme. The FSA has said it wants to see one scheme in use throughout the country.
