Is YOUR favourite pizza going to be affected by the new calorie cap?

Pizzas will have to shrink or lose their toppings under Government plans to cap calories in our favourite treats in an obesity crackdown.  

Drastic proposals from Public Health England, which has previously said the nation needs to go on a diet, state pizzas should contain no more than 928 calories. 

The guidelines will also apply to pies, which should contain no more than 695 calories. Proposed limits have yet to be revealed for ready meals, sandwiches, cooking sauces, soups, burgers and processed meats.

Papa Johns BBQ Meats Extra Large pizza tops the scales at a staggering 4,200 calories – meaning it would have to cut back extensively to meet the limit.

However, it is not the only offender. Popular dishes from Pizza Hut, Zizzi, Ask, Pizza Express and Domino’s will all also have to scale back, if the plans go ahead.  

But others can be enjoyed guilt-free. Ask’s Light Caprina contains just 382 calories – a fraction of the recommended 2,000 and 2,500 calories a day for men and women.

Here, MailOnline reveals the most and least calorific pizzas sold at six of the most popular high street chains and take-aways.

MailOnline reveals the most and least calorific pizzas sold at seven of the most popular high street chains and take-aways. Papa Johns BBQ Meats Extra Large tops the scales at a staggering 4,200 calories – meaning it would have to cut back extensively to meet the limit

Chains such as Pizza Hut offer customers a choice of different pizza sizes and bases, giving them more control over their calorie intake.

Whereas other chains like Pizza Express and Zizzi sell their pizzas in just one standard size – meaning they are often higher in calories than others.  

PHE officials met with retailers and food manufacturers, including Domino’s, Deliveroo, Just Eat, Mcdonalds and KFC, earlier this week to discuss introducing ‘calorie caps’ on food.

The Government is aiming to reduce calorie counts in every day foods by 20 per cent by 2024.

Dr Alison Tedstone, chief nutritionist at PHE, said the threat of obesity on childrens’ health has been ‘decades in the making’.

She added it is not enough for restaurants to simply offer healthier options, stressing obesity can only be tackled if the calorie content of foods is cut. 

‘It could mean less meat on a pizza, it could mean less cheese, it could mean a smaller size,’ Dr Tedstone told The Telegraph.

‘We know that just having healthy options on the menu won’t change the nation’s habits – we need the default option to have fewer calories. 

THE NAUGHTIEST PIZZAS IN TOWN 

Pizzas above the 928 calorie limit:

Papa Johns BBQ Meat Feast Extra Large

Papa Johns BBQ Meat Feast Extra Large = 4,200 calories

Topped with pepperoni, sausage, beef and bacon 

 

 

 

 

 

Pizza Hut Phillycheese Steak Cheesy Bites

Pizza Hut Phillycheese Steak Cheesy Bites = 3,000 calories  

Breaded chicken strips, hickory-smoked bacon and onions with a spicy buffalo swirl on a tangy ranch sauce with cheese-filled bites for the crust 

 

 

 

Zizzi Pulled Pork Roma Rustica

Zizzi Pulled Pork Roma Rustica = 1,543 calories  

Slow-cooked pulled pork and crispy crackling on a white base of Fior di Latte and smoked mozzarella with pepperoni, sunblush tomatoes, rosemary and smoked chilli jelly

 

 

 

Pizza Express Carbonara pizza

Ask Prima Salsiccia

Pizza Express Carbonara pizza = 1,420 calories 

Pancetta, mozzarella and garlic oil on a béchamel base, baked with a free-range egg and finished with grated Gran Milano cheese and fresh parsley 

 

 

 

  

Ask Prima Salsiccia = 1,116 calories

Fiery Calabrian N’duja sausage meat, roquito pepper pearls, balsamic red onions and fontal cheese 

 

 

 

 

Domino’s Meateor Double Decadence Large

 

Domino’s Meateor Double Decadence Large = 957 calories 

BBQ sauce topped with pork meatballs, ground beef, sausage, pepperoni and smoky bacon. Double decadance is two thin bases sandwiched together with a cheese and herb sauce

 

 

 

Franco Manca Pizza 6

Franco Manca Pizza 6 = 1,017 calories

Tomato, cured chorizo and mozzarella 

  

THE HEALTHIEST PIZZAS ON THE HIGH STREET 

Pizzas that contain less than 928 calories:

Ask Light Caprina

Zizzi Skinny King Prawn Diavola

Pizza Express Wholemeal Leggera American Hot 

Papa Johns Mediterranean Veggie Gluten Free 

Ask Light Caprina = 382

Soft goat’s cheese, rocket, Santos tomatoes, olive tapenade and mozzarella, with a rainbow salad 

 

 

 

 

Zizzi Skinny King Prawn Diavola = 487

Butterfly king prawns, Fior di Latte mozzarella, crushed chillies and fresh oregano 

 

 

 

 

Pizza Express Wholemeal Leggera American Hot = 548

Pepperoni, light mozzarella and tomato, with your choice of hot green, Roquito or jalapeño peppers 

 

 

 

 

 

Papa Johns Mediterranean Veggie Gluten Free = 660

Pizza Hut Veggie

Roma tomatoes, onions, banana peppers, mushrooms, ripe black olives and mozzarella 

 

 

 

 

Pizza Hut Veggie Individual Thin 11’’ = 864

Fresh spinach, sweetcorn, mixed peppers, red onions and mushrooms

 

   

 

  

Domino’s Cheese & Tomato Classic Crust with reduced fat mozzarella

Domino’s Cheese & Tomato Classic Crust = 480 calories

with reduced fat mozzarella

 

 

 

 

 

Franco Manca Pizza 1

Franco Manca Pizza 1 = 624 calories

Tomato, garlic and oregano  

    

 

Pizza sizes must be reduced to stop children getting obese, new recommendations state

… AND THEY’RE AFTER YOUR PIES, TOO! PHE SAYS ALL PIES SHOULD BE CAPPED AT 695 CALORIES

Pies with more than 695 calories:

JD Wetherspoon British Beef & Doom Bar ale pie

JD Wetherspoon British Beef & Doom Bar ale pie = 1,078 calories

Made using Cornish-brewed Doom Bar ale, from Sharp’s Brewery, in Rock. Served with mash potatoes and mushy peas 

Sizzling Pubs British Steak Pie = 1,017 calories

Served with chips and peas

Fray Bentos Minced Beef & Onion Pie = 703 calories

A minced beef and onion pie, covered in meaty gravy and topped with puff pastry

 

Sizzling Pubs British Steak Pie – served with chips and peas, and Fray Bentos Minced Beef and Onion Pie – covered in gravy and topped with puff pastry

Pukka Pie Veggie Leek & Potato

Pies with less than 695 calories:

Pukka Pie Veggie Leek & Potato = 549 calories

Filled with vegetables in a creamy cheddar sauce in puff pastry  

Pieminister Kevin = 562 calories

Mushroom, tomato and red wine pie with baby onions and thyme 

Clive’s Creamy Mushroom Pie = 521 calories 

Fresh chestnut mushrooms cooked with onions and herbs in a creamy sauce 

Pieminister Kevin – mushroom, tomato and red wine pie with baby onions and thyme, and Clive’s Creamy Mushroom Pie – Fresh chestnut mushrooms cooked with onions and herbs in a creamy sauce

‘The default options for pizzas are margherita and pepperoni pizzas, so we need them to get healthier.’

Proposals on how to cut calories are in an early stage, with further measures due to be announced in the spring. 

Discussions between PHE and food manufacturers over the coming months should help ‘feasible and achievable’ decisions to be made on how best to limit the public’s calorie consumption. 

‘These are early days in the calorie reduction programme, but the food industry have a responsibility to act,’ Dr Tedstone added.

‘The simple truth is on average we need to eat less.

‘Children and adults routinely eat too many calories and it’s why we’ve seen severe obesity in 10 to 11-year-olds at an all time high.’

She added: ‘We hope to see early commitment from the food industry – including the people who make, sell and deliver our food – translated into real action, sooner rather than later.’ 

Under current plans, calorie limits will not be mandatory.

However, ministers have warned tougher steps are required after plans to cut sugar consumption led to a two per cent decrease rather than the target five per cent.

Public Health Minister Steve Brine said the Government will do whatever it takes to keep children health. 

This comes after official figures showed record numbers of children are severely obese by the time they leave primary school.

Health experts described the rise in childhood obesity as a ‘catastrophe’.

The proportion of 10 and 11-year-olds who are overweight or obese has grown to 34.3 per cent – 197,888 children – compared with 31.6 per cent in 2016/17.

Latest data from the National Child Measurement Programme shows 4.2 per cent of Year 6 pupils in England were defined as severely obese, up from 3.6 in 2016/17. 

Some children were found to be eating 500 calories a day above the government recommendations of 1,650 calories for a boy of seven and 1,500 calories for a girl of the same age. 

Today’s children spend at least twice as much time eating out as those who grew up in the 70s, with one in five meals being consumed outside the home, previous research suggests.  

The Government has previously pledged to halve childhood obesity rates by 2030.   

Duncan Selbie, PHE’s chief executive, said excess calorie consumption is the food industry’s ‘next big challenge’.

In a statement released after the meeting, he added: ‘This is the promising start we need to succeed in reducing calories in the foods included in the programme by 20 per cent.’  

Other efforts to tackle childhood obesity have included calorie counts on menus, banning unhealthy food adverts after 9pm, and removing treats from checkouts and two-for-one deals.