Health experts welcome UK’s crackdown on unhealthy food promotions in retailers

04 Jan 2021 --- The UK government confirmed it will restrict retail promotions on food and drinks high in fat, salt or sugar (HFSS) from April 2022.

The policy limits promotions such as “buy one get one free” and “three for two” in medium and large stores. 

Unhealthy promotions will no longer be featured in key locations, such as at checkouts, store entrances, aisle ends and online equivalents. Free refills of sugary soft drinks will also be prohibited in the eating-out sector.

“The true test of success for these measures will be whether they result in a reduction of impulse purchasing and overconsumption of the targeted unhealthy products or not, or whether marketing tactics merely shift to other types of promotion,” Barbara Crowther, campaign coordinator at Children’s Food Campaign, part of UK-based healthy food and agriculture advocate group Sustain, tells NutritionInsight. 

“Ideally, we would also want to see display space and price offers shift decisively toward promoting healthier food and drinks.”

Offers for unhealthy foods like ‘buy one get one free’ will be restricted from April 2022.Anticipating challenges
While Sustain welcomes the move as a whole, the healthy food advocate group is mindful of  possible loopholes. 

One example might be creative new displays in the middle of store aisles, and via cross promotions. “We already see how snacks are often displayed in this way, especially around Easter and Christmas,” says Crowther.

On price promotions, Sustain anticipates that food manufacturers and retailers will gravitate to other forms of price deals for these products. “Several retailers were already doing this already,” notes Crowther. 

Price offers on larger sizes of products, or multipacks do not come into scope of these restrictions and may be something to watch for, she adds.

Limiting junk food to prevent childhood obesity
Industry experts have hailed this government move as a “bold first step” in tackling the nation’s “biggest threat” to Britain’s future health – childhood obesity.

“To bypass the restrictions and improve our health further, manufacturers have the opportunity to reformulate their less healthy products into healthier versions over the next two years,” says Professor Graham MacGregor, chairperson of lobby group Action on Sugar. 

He notes the UK government has “already bowed to industry lobbying and watered down its own Childhood Obesity Plan.”

Not only will the new restrictions help tackle childhood obesity, it will also significantly reduce the number of cases of tooth decay, adds Dr. Saul Konviser from the Dental Wellness Trust. 

“Nearly 45,000 hospital operations were performed to remove rotten teeth in 2018/19, which is a stark reminder that too much sugar, especially in children’s diets, can have dire consequences. And what’s most concerning is this is all entirely preventable."

The UK government warns promotions often appear to help shoppers save money, encouraging people to buy more than initially intended.Making healthy food financially attractive
Despite these warnings, the UK government’s move aims to not only deter shoppers away from snack food aisles but move them toward healthier foods on retailer shelves.

“It will help – not hinder – people who want to buy healthier food at an affordable price,” comments Ben Reynolds, deputy chief executive of Sustain.

“The government’s newly announced policy is all about getting businesses to change what they’re promoting.”

Fran Bernhardt, Children’s Food Campaign coordinator for Sustain, previously shared with NutritionInsight that the “missing piece” in regulating online advertisements for HFSS foods has been a clear government strategy.

In similar strides, a food policy replacing junk foods with healthier options in Berkeley, California, checkout aisles took effect this week. 

The restrictions aim to direct shoppers away from junk food and toward healthier options.Crackdown on obesity
Launching on January 28, an eight-week targeted consultation will seek views from industry stakeholders and enforcement bodies on how these policies can be implemented and will allow for views on wording of definitions in the policy, as well as plus enforcement and sanctions. 

Small and micro-businesses, which generally make up a small percentage of volume of goods sold through retail, are exempt. “We do hope that the government will keep this under review to see whether further change is possible,” adds Crowther.

In November, the UK’s Department of Health and Social Care began conducting a six-week consultation on a total ban on all online HFSS advertisements.

It followed earlier measures announced in July, in which the government pledged to introduce a 9 p.m. watershed on all HFSS ads. These measures have been spurred by a Public Health England review that revealed a significant link between weight-related comorbidities and COVID-19 mortality in the UK in June.

“As year on year the UK has some of the worst obesity rates, we have had to take these kinds of actions which have not yet been necessary in other countries,” concludes Reynolds at Sustain.

“Restrictions on promotions are just one tool to take junk food out of the spotlight, and we hope that other countries can take some learning from the role it could play in their attempts to tackle obesity.”

By Anni Schleicher