Counting Calories - Another First for Dix Neuf

A popular St. Peter Port eaterie is leading the way in Guernsey by posting the amount of calories contained in some of its dishes.

Chefs at Liberation Group have worked with a professional nutritionist to calculate the number of calories in the ingredients of some of their most popular menu choices to help diners stay on track with their daily calorie intake.

Dishes such as tuna and potato salad and Cajun baked chicken breast with vegetable rice are marked up with the total calorie value of the meal on the menu at Dix Neuf Guernsey. Additional items such as salad dressings are also calculated so that people can see how much their overall meal will count towards their daily recommended intake.

Liberation Group is the first restaurant and pub chain in the Channel Islands to introduce calorie posting on its menus and plans to extend the scheme to other popular venues such as the Deerhound in the coming months.

Kenrick Brooks, Operations Director at Liberation Group says: "At Liberation Group we are always looking for ways to improve our products. We have invested heavily in our properties in recent months, giving a better customer experience in terms of comfort and environment. This latest initiative is quite unique in the Channel Islands and will help our patrons make an even more informed choice from our extensive menus. Our chefs have worked hard with a professional nutritionist to produce dishes that are both tasty and healthy. What we are doing is intended to give diners more information about what is in their dish to help them maintain a balanced diet."

In February of this year the Food Network, the body responsible for encouraging healthy eating in the UK, agreed a new set of guidelines for restaurants, fast food chains and work canteens that will see calorie notices on menus from September.

It follows legislation in the United States requiring all chains with more than 20 outlets to display the number of calories in their regular menu items.

Kenrick Brooks says: "We recognise the value in giving our customers more choice through better information. We're ahead of the trend in the UK and, as we roll out the initiative in more of our eateries, we expect to see other Channel Island businesses following our lead."

The Dix Neuf Guernsey calorie-posted menu items are available now.