Word from the West

West of Ireland food writer Anne Marie Carroll reveals something surprising on the menu at the G Hotel

When the debate began early last year on the government’s plans for the introduction of a mandatory calorie count on menus, it’s fair to say, not everyone was happy about it.

According to the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, overweight and obesity as a public health issue are ranked as the biggest pandemic affecting the largest number of people in Ireland, contributing to a myriad of preventable chronic diseases.

The proposed legislation will apply to food businesses regardless of size, type of food sold, ownership or location. The requirements are specific - all menus, including boards, leaflets and digital must display calorie details alongside the price, in the same font size and colour.

Why is putting calories on menus important? The arguments for putting this information on menus are compelling. The problem of being overweight affects people of all ages in Ireland and we have the second highest rate of obesity in Europe.

More and more people in Ireland are suffering from heart disease, cancer, diabetes and stroke because of obesity. As our size goes up so does that of the food available to us, portions sizes have become much bigger in recent years.

Bigger portions lead consumers to eat more calories. The ultimate aim of putting calories on menus is to help people stay within their calorie limits and thus improve the nation’s health.

While large scale restaurants such as Supermac’s have everything measured to a very exact and precise level and have long had their calories available to the public, the arguments against calories on menus for artisan and fine dining establishments are multiple. The cost is prohibitive, the proposed legislation would cost each restaurant an estimated €5,000 per year, a real problem for a small restaurant in an industry with notoriously tight margins.

This all comes not so long after the mandatory introduction of allergens on menus was brought in, in December 2014 - restaurants suggest it already takes them an additional 4-5 hours each week to prepare this information. How exactly would the Government would monitor the compliance of these businesses? There are over 22,000 food outlets in Ireland to check.

Displaying the amount of calories on food and drinks for sale is a form of labelling. The first and most important rule of labelling is that the consumer must not be misled, so this information must be accurate. Most chefs will tell you that menus in restaurants vary from day to day and therefore calorie counting would be highly inaccurate - it is difficult to calculate hand-crafted dishes correctly.

Calorie counts on menus have already been introduced in the United States, five out of six customers paid no attention to the information, according to a study by New York University. Some people prefer to go out and enjoy themselves without having to know the calorie content of their meal.

The biggest problem with calories is that they tell us so very little about the food as to not matter at all. Calories are merely a unit of energy, no more, no less. There are good calories and bad. They don't tell how much salt or sugar there is, or if there are any artificial sweeteners, GMO's or anything of real consequence.

Somewhere that will tell you everything you need to know about the quality of your calories is The g Hotel and its chef, David Bodas (top right). David combines his love of food and cooking with his background in nutrition to show the hotel guests that food can be both tasty and healthy.

He is motivated by the positive impact food can have on your energy, health and long term well-being. Since January this year he and the Hotel have been providing detailed nutritional information for their dishes in the Signature Lounges.

The culinary team is headed up by Cedric Bottarlini. This is a chef who cares about food, the local landscape and showcasing Irish produce with a touch of flair. He has built a strong team of similarly passionate chefs who share his culinary vision and strive for excellence in everything they craft.

This initiative is their way of taking it to the next level and give the guests all the information they need to make better choices. Their aim is to provide the options for a healthier lifestyle without sacrificing taste or quality. "It is the way things are going, this is the future" Cedric says. "People should have the information to make informed decisions."

Each dish on the lunch and lounge menus has its own details printed on a little card listing not only the allergens and calories but also the carbohydrate, sugar, fibre and protein content. Total fat is listed and how much of that is saturated. Cholesterol, calcium and sodium are all included as well as vitamins A, C and D. A real help for those not just watching their weight but also those with concerns about cholesterol, sugar or salt levels.

There’s no tricky maths to do, the values are presented for the full dish as it is presented to you and they are consistent every time as the portions are pre-weighed. Chefs Cedric and David insist it is not that difficult to do either, with the help of the right software and an organised team in the kitchen. Best of all, the nutritional information is not on the menu, but available on request, so you can choose to munch away in blissful ignorance if you so wish.

The g's three Signature Lounges are perfect for casual dining with food served from 11am until 10pm and a wide choice from small bites to main-courses and tempting treats on the menu.

While I firmly believe that better, more considered food education from primary school level and beyond is the preferred answer to the obesity epidemic rather than calories on menus, in a clever twist, the g team have managed to put something much more useful than calories on the menu while not actually putting the calories on the menu at all - I tip my Philip Treacy hat to you Chefs!

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Anne Marie Carroll is a freelance food writer and member of the Irish Food Writers’ Guild who lives in Galway with her husband and two children. 

With a background in design and illustration, Anne Marie made the switch to journalism with a regular food and wine column in The Galway Advertiser. Her work now mainly focuses on restaurant reviews, writing and editing recipes, the development of food photo shoots, including styling and photography. She also writes for a number of other publications and works as a consultant for small producers, food retailers and restaurants.

Anne Marie writes about all things food from the West of Ireland at her blog, Warm & Snug & Fat. You can also find her on twitter as @Biscuits4ABear