GK Associate Director Thea Southwell Reeves analyses the Welsh government’s progress on regulating unhealthy food.
This week, the Welsh government took an important step towards tightening the regulatory environment around high fat, sugar and salt (HFSS) food. The measures include prohibiting retailers from offering promotions such as buy-one-get-one-free and three-for-two offers on unhealthy foods; a ban on free drink refills in restaurants; and preventing retailers from placing HFSS food in certain locations in stores. Worth noting, these regulations are also set to apply online so website entry pages, shopping basket and payment pages will all need to comply.
The consultation is open until midnight on 23 September and is seeking views from industry on the draft regulations and their proposed enforcement approach. If the proposals are approved by the Senedd, the legislation is likely to come into force in 2025.
These proposed changes form part of a broad range of approaches, both voluntary and regulatory, that the Welsh government is said to be considering to encourage the food and retail sector to produce, promote, and ultimately sell, healthier food and drink.
The increased regulation of HFSS foods has been on the table for years and is also being explored by Holyrood and Westminster. A consultation on Scotland’s ambitious HFSS regulations closed in May and the King’s Speech included measures to restrict the advertising of junk food to children, along with the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to children. The cost-of-living crisis has derailed anything more ambitious in Westminster… for now.
Industry has, for the most part, been critical of moves to tighten legislation, arguing that they disproportionately impact the small food and drink producers and make selling food complex and costly. However, for businesses that are nimble, the rules represent an opportunity to gain advantage over non-compliant brands or big brands that are slow to adapt. In a similar vein, producers who can emphasise a healthier product range in marketing and brand positioning are set to attract consumers who are looking to reduce their HFSS intake.
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To discuss what the Welsh government’s consultation may mean for you and how you can engage with policy debates in the year ahead, please reach out to Thea@gkstrategy.com.
