HFSS promotion ban speculated to be scrapped

The government may scrap the proposed HFSS promotion ban which is set to come into force in October, stated various recent reports.

Pointing out that the proposed HFSS promotion ban had no mention in the Queen’s Speech, various media reports said that Prime Minister Boris Johnson is considering shelving the plan.

The ban, which is due to come into force in less than five months’ time, will stop thousands of retailers from providing multibuy offers and extra free deals on a range of products, including cereals, juices, yogurts, potato products and ready meals. 

As per reports, the government has ditched the proposed ban on volume deals such as buy-one-get-one-free. It still remains unclear whether the government’s expected U-turn will also imply the ban on promotions in high-profile locations such as aisle ends, or not.

The speculation comes amid reports of many food makers making huge investments in reformulation and for new promotional strategies more in tune with the HFSS ban.

The government had published detailed guidance on the new rules last month. The ban on promotional restrictions is just one of the interventions that make up the wider Obesity Strategy, which includes restricting where HFSS products can be located in thousands of stores, including independent retailers that are part of symbol groups. 

As per Association of Convenience Stores (ACS), retailers have estimated the cost of complying with these proposals at around £13,000 per store. 

ACS chief executive James Lowman said, “Our members are telling us that customers are watching every penny, so now is not the time to put new legislation in place that makes feeding families more expensive. Scrapping the ban on ‘buy-one-get-one’ deals and other promotions would help retailers to deliver value for customers in stores.”