About Nesta

Nesta is an innovation foundation. For us, innovation means turning bold ideas into reality and changing lives for the better. We use our expertise, skills and funding in areas where there are big challenges facing society.

How healthy is eating out in Scotland?

Nesta, in partnership with Food Standards Scotland, provides a nutritional analysis of popular out-of-home food items from independent businesses across Scotland.

The out-of-home (OOH) sector – restaurants, cafes, takeaways and any other places where food is bought and consumed away from home – is a key component of our food environment and, on average, contributes around 340 calories per person per day to our diet. This research, conducted in partnership with and funded by Food Standards Scotland, is a study of the nutritional content of popular out-of-home foods from small, independent businesses in Scotland. We lab-tested 158 samples across 14 food items in Glasgow and Edinburgh, aiming to fill data gaps on calorie and nutrient content of these foods.

Findings

Key findings revealed high levels of calories, fat, saturated fat, total sugars, and salt, with low fibre content in many samples. Moreover, many of the items tested are classed as discretionary foods and are usually eaten out with a main meal, potentially contributing significantly to excess calorie intake.

Our research found the average doner kebab contained 1283 calories, which is 64% of the recommended daily amount for an adult woman, and 50% more saturated fat than the recommended daily limit. Several products tested also exceeded the daily dietary recommendations for adults and children in a single portion, for example, one macaroni cheese sample had 421% of the daily saturated fat recommendation. Findings for children's meals were also a concern, often containing high levels of saturated fat.

The study highlighted significant variations in portion sizes and nutritional content for the same item across different businesses, suggesting that healthier versions of our favourite foods are not only feasible but also can still be enjoyable. Overall, these findings support the view that continued work to support businesses, promote reformulation and establish an impactful and feasible policy solution for the SME OOH sector is necessary to improve the nutritional quality of OOH food in Scotland and ensure healthier food environments for us all.

Authors

Frances Bain

Frances Bain

Frances Bain

Mission Manager (Scotland), healthy life mission

Frances is Nesta’s mission manager for Scotland working on the healthy life mission and based with the Scotland team in Edinburgh.

View profile
John Barber

John Barber

John Barber

Deputy Director, healthy life mission

John is a deputy director of the healthy life mission.

View profile
David Dearlove

David Dearlove

David Dearlove

Principal Researcher, healthy life mission

David joins Nesta as a principal researcher in the healthy life team.

View profile
Kinza Mahmood

Kinza Mahmood

Kinza Mahmood

Analyst, healthy life mission

Kinza works as an analyst for the healthy life mission, helping to deliver the mission through research and analysis.

View profile