In a new development which has come as a good news for weight watchers and those struggling to curb their food craving to match the daily recommended calorie intake, the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition has said that there is a chance that the "the calorie counts used as the basis for diets and healthy-eating guidance for the past 18 years could be wrong". If this is successfully proved the daily intake of calories could go up by 16%, or 400 calories.

Currently, the daily recommended calories for adult men and women are 2,000 and 2,500, respectively. After a 16% increment to the figure, one could eat an extra cheeseburger or two bags of chips everyday and still remain within the recommended range.

The revised calorie count is a result of a reassessment by researchers of how fat is burned during exercise. But the researchers and authorities are quick to assert that intake should only be increased by people who exercise more.

While Health campaigners and consumer experts are worried that the new calorie figures could send out a wrong message to overweight and obese people, Ministers are already thinking about revising the way food labeling is done and introducing a new scheme to highlight the calorie content of foods in relation to the new guided daily amounts.