UK pub operator Wetherspoon will become the first pub chain in the country to provide calorie information on its website and menus for all drinks served in its premises.

The company first introduced calorie information for its food items in 2011, with the new drink calorie count information to be listed from March 8 in all 900 pubs across the UK and Republic of Ireland.

Wetherspoon chairman Tim Martin said: ‘We want our customers to have as much information as possible so that they can make informed decisions about the food and drink they enjoy at our pubs.

‘We were the first pub company to highlight the number of calories on all of our meals and it seems a logical step to now do this for all the drinks that our pubs serve.’

Obesity concerns

Health officials have warned that Ireland's rising obesity levels can be linked to binge-drinking and general alcohol consumption.

Dr Chris Luke, Consultant in Emergency Medicine at Cork University Hospital, told Newstalk Breakfast last year that:

"A glass of wine has the same amount of calories as a donut. That has to be on a label.

"Although there's always cries of 'nanny-state-ism', the problem is that the State's capacity to provide healthcare is seriously under threat because of lifestyle issues such as obesity and alcohol," he added.

Currently, alcoholic drinks that contain more than 1.2% alcohol by volume are exempt from EU regulations on nutritional labelling that came into force in 2011 covering all food and soft drinks.

A standard serving (150ml) of a glass of Merlot contains 122 calories, a glass of Chardonnay contains 123 calories, and a pint of Heineken has 255.

There are currently three Wetherspoon pubs in Dublin, and one in Cork.