Bidfood support to help with calorie-labelling rules

A new online hub and an array of support tools are being launched by Bidfood to help its customers to understand and adhere to new calorie-labelling legislation.

The tools and information the foodservice wholesalers is offering will help its customers save time and offer important advice.

From 6th April, new government legislation will come into effect that introduces requirements to calorie label on menu items. Businesses that have 250 employees or more will be required by law on printed, display or online menus to label the amount of calories per dish or portion.

To aid with preparation, Bidfood has launched a dedicated calorie-labelling page on its website, which has all the information business and customers need ahead of the rule change.

The page will include tailored content – such as a blog on the subject and a podcast episode – from Bidfood’s Nutrition and Allergen Manager Samantha Mollart.

There is also an online guide designed to help businesses understand and implement the legislation. Covering all aspects of calorie labelling, the guide will explore areas such as when the changes will come into effect, what support is available and who will be in scope.

As an additional tool, Bidfood Direct MyRecipes has been launched to automatically calculate the calorie content of recipes based on the ingredients and quantity of those ingredients.

MyRecipes also has the option to change portion descriptions to display values in kilocalories in a context the consumer understands, such as meal, bowl or slice. A further development is due in April to ensure all downloaded PDFs and label downloads will display the recommended calorie intake for adults too.

“The industry has been through a turbulent two years with Brexit, Covid-19 and new legislation being introduced,” said Mollart.

“We’ve designed these support tools with customers front of mind to help provide them with all the information they need.

“We’re giving access to calorie information for the products we offer, along with reporting tools to share product information with customers, available on Bidfood Direct and through our Advice Centre.

“Another fantastic tool we have on Bidfood Direct is Menu Planner, this is available to Bidfood customers and is our recipe analysis software solution, able to accurately calculate the calories in a dish.”

Bidfood’s launch comes only a matter of days after Brakes unveiled its own calorie-labelling support for customers.

Bidfood calorie labelling calories Samantha Mollart