# ‘I think from my experience, it’s a negative thing for most people’: Exploring the perspectives of young British women opposed to the calories on menus policy in the UK

## TL;DR

This study explores why young British women oppose calorie labeling on menus, linking their views to unhealthy food relationships and societal pressures for thinness.

## Contribution

The study provides new qualitative insights into young women's emotional and sociocultural responses to calorie information on menus.

## Key findings

- Participants felt calorie information worsened their relationship with food.
- Calories were seen as insufficient for understanding food quality.
- Negative emotions were tied to societal thinness ideals and diet culture.

## Abstract

The compulsory inclusion of calorie information on menus has been health policy in the UK since 2022. Public opinion on the policy varies, with young women particularly likely to oppose and express concerns. This qualitative study explores the perspectives of young women with a negative opinion of the policy. Eight White British women (18–25 years) volunteered to take part in semi-structured interviews exploring their perceptions and experiences with calories on menus. Inductive reflexive thematic analysis developed three themes: (1) viewing calories fed their own unhealthy relationship with food; (2) calories don’t tell you everything that matters about food; (3) negative emotional reactions are shaped by society’s encouragement of the thin ideal. The women’s negative opinions on the policy appeared heavily grounded in, and indicative of, their own negative emotional responses to viewing calorie information. They linked these responses to sociocultural meanings and ideals related to thinness, food choice and dieting.