Ireland has a proud tradition of producing good quality food, which is enjoyed at home and abroad. But like many developed countries, it's also battling obesity - nearly 40% of adults here are overweight. On Wednesday the country's health minister backed a report calling for calorie labelling, which would mean that Irish restaurants, like this one, and fast food outlets would have to show exactly how many calories are in the dishes that they serve. The health minister said the country's food businesses have six months to introduce calorie menu labelling, or else face the possible introduction of a compulsory scheme. Some fast food chains here already label their menus, allowing customers to make healthier choices if they wish. But the country's restaurant association has claimed it will cost each outlet around $7,000 to implement calorie labelling. The move is supported, however, by the findings of the report, which show that most people here support calorie labelling in food outlets. This is a country with a track record of acting on public health - Ireland was one of the first places in the world to implement a blanket smoking ban in public places, for example.
爱尔兰有一个引以为豪的享誉国内外生产优质食品的传统。但是，像众多的发达国家一样，它也是斗争肥胖的国度，在爱尔兰将近40%的成年人超重。 在星期三，爱尔兰卫生部颁布了一个公告，要求为卡路里标签，这将意味着爱尔兰的餐馆，将不得不出示到底有多少卡路里在他们提供的食物里边。 爱尔兰卫生部称食品公司有6个月的时间自己主动推行卡路里菜单，要不然可能面临强制性的推行计划。 一些快餐连锁店已经标注了它们的菜单，让顾客做一个他们所希望的更健康的选择。但是，国家餐厅委员会已经宣布推行该政策每一家连锁店将会花费大约7000美元。 这种说法受支持的，然而，公告的结果显示，大多数爱尔兰人支持卡路里菜单。这是爱尔兰推进公共健康上一步一步的记录，比如，爱尔兰也是最早颁布公共场所禁烟法令的国家之一。
编辑于2024/02/11更新