The Irish Hotels Federation (IHF) today said that it would be opposed to the introduction  of mandatory labelling of calories on menus in hotels and guesthouses.

Michael Vaughan, President of the IHF, said he welcomed the voluntary nature of the proposed scheme but expressed concerns that it could be transformed into a mandatory system once the introductory phase has been completed.

Mr Vaughan warned that the adoption of an indiscriminate approach to mandatory calorie labelling would be entirely inappropriate for hotels and guesthouses, many of whose menus change on a daily basis because of the use of locally sourced produce and the seasonally available ingredients.