Six of the UK’s largest pub companies have signed up to the Food Standards Agency’s (FSA) healthy food campaign to reduce the nation’s saturated fat and salt intakes.
JD Wetherspoon, Greene King, Marston’s Inns & Taverns, and the pubs run by Mitchells and Butlers, the Spirit Group and Whitbread will now alter their dishes and working practices to meet the FSA’s guidelines.
As well as swapping sauces, dressings and frying oils for those lower in saturated fat, offering more menu choice to encourage healthy eating, and training staff on healthy cooking practices, the pub companies will also make nutritional information readily available to their customers.
Rosemary Hignett, head of nutrition at the FSA, said: “We`re delighted that these pubs have decided to work alongside us, because it shows that caterers can make some really positive changes without taking the pleasure out of a special occasion. These new commitments build on a lot of good work that has been under way for some time, and we are sure that other pub restaurant chains will see what is happening and want to get involved too.”
The pub companies join the likes of fast food chains Burger King, McDonald’s, KFC, Wimpy, Subway and Nandos, who signed up to the commitments in November last year. The FSA has also announced it is working to sign up several coffee shop, sandwich and family restaurant chains over the next few months.
The news comes days after an investigation into the salt content of restaurant meals, which found dishes in some high street restaurants containing salt in excess of an adults recommended daily allowance.