Dieting, calorie counting and general diet control are always hot topics both online and offline, but how much of that stress and confusion is caused by our food labelling systems?

The global snack market is facing criticism as research from the University of Surrey has found what is believed to be a link between our snack food labelling and overeating issues.

According to the research, our perception of what constitutes a ‘snack’ then negatively affects our ability to judge total daily calories consumed.

“With our lives getting busier, increasing numbers of people are eating on the go and consuming foods that are labelled as ‘snacks’ to sustain them. What we have found is that those who are consuming snacks are more likely to over-eat as they may not realise or even remember what they have eaten,” Professor in Health Psychology at the University of Surrey, Jane Ogden, said.

“To overcome this, we should call our food a meal and eat it as a meal, helping make us more aware of what we are eating so that we don’t over-eat later on.”

The study asked 80 participants to eat a pasta pot that was labelled either a ‘snack’ or a ‘meal’.

That wasn’t the only stipulation, to test the theory even further, all ‘snack pots’ were to be eaten standing up with a plastic fork and any labelled as a ‘meal’ were eaten from a plate with a normal metal fork.

Having eaten their pasta, the subjects of the study were then given the option to take part in a further taste test that included a variety of different foods, including biscuits, sweets and crisps.

Unfortunately, the researchers found that those who ate the pasta labelled ‘snack pot’ tended to consume 50 per cent more in total calories on average and around 100 per cent more sweet snacks such as the M&Ms.

A number of conclusions can be drawn from the study, but one that was attributed to the overeating effect was that whilst eating a snack, people tend to be more distracted which means that they are less conscious of their food consumption.

Sitting down to eat a meal, away from these distractions can be a way to eliminate this ‘lack of awareness’ of overall food consumption.

The research comes as we are now reaching an obesity epidemic in the United Kingdom, with levels reported to have trebled in the last 30 years with 24.9 per cent of people now deemed obese.

We have the highest levels of obesity in Europe, which is estimated to cost the taxpayer £16 billion a year on the direct medical costs of diabetes and conditions related to being overweight or obese.

Could we as catering professionals do more to help lower this risk in our businesses?

Direct product labelling could help give customers and diners much more information to help them decide what is the right healthy choice within their diet.

Offering healthier alternatives could prove to be a financial boon to your business as many consumers are becoming more conscious of what they eat, with lower calorie options proving popular across the board.

That doesn’t mean that a full menu overhaul is necessary, the addition of a few light bite, healthy alternatives could be a great way to cater for all types of client.