News article
27 July 2020
The Food and Drink Federation responds to the announcement of the new UK Government's obesity strategy
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Responding to the announcement of the new UK Government's obesity strategy, Tim
Rycroft, Chief Operating Officer at the Food and Drink Federation said:
“The UK's food and drink manufacturers and the half a million people we employ –
so recently the
heroes heralded by government for feeding the nation during the Covid crisis –
will be reeling today
from this punishing blow.
“As the economy struggles to recover, new restrictions on promoting and
advertising everyday
food and drink will increase the price of food [1], reduce consumer choice and
threaten jobs across
the UK. And all to save 17 calories a day [2].
On a missed opportunity:
“A new government focus on the promotion of physical activity is welcome, but
this package looks
like a terrible missed opportunity. After months in which people have thought
more about diet and
exercise, we could have embarked on a bold programme to promote healthier
lifestyles and better
diet choices – encouraging consumption of fibre, fruit and vegetables. Instead,
at the heart of this
programme are old and discredited policies that will raise prices, limit choice
and hit two of the UK's
most successful industries.
On proposed promotions and advertising bans:
“It is extraordinary that the government is proposing a ban on promotions of
food and drink in
retail at such a precarious economic time. With household budgets more
stretched
than ever before,
the Scottish Government recently reversed its decision to press ahead with
promotional restrictions.
They said the Covid crisis had rendered their impact assessments meaningless.
Why are things
different in England?
“Government is pulling in different directions. From August the Chancellor is
paying for people to
eat out whilst the Health Secretary is proposing banning promotions on the same
foods in
supermarkets.
“Further, there is very limited evidence that these measures will effectively
tackle obesity. The UK
Government's own figures suggested that proposed bans on advertising and
promotions combined
would only reduce children's average calorie consumption by 17 calories per day
[2].
“For more than a decade, our industry has worked willingly with successive
governments to
reduce salt, fat and sugars. Government is right in its renewed ambition for a
healthier, more active
population, but it is also time it put real money behind specific, targeted
measures to help those most
afflicted by obesity, rather than relying on headline chasing measures.
On the impact on shoppers:
“If price promotions are banned, already hard-pressed shoppers can expect to see
their weekly
shop become more expensive, at a cost of £600 per family [1]. We have already
seen evidence of
this during the current crisis. Government policies should not put further
pressure on rising food
costs, which will disproportionately hit the tightest household budgets.
“Manufacturers, meanwhile, will see little point in introducing lower-sugar or
lower-calories
variants of their products into a market in which it will not be possible to
advertise or promote them to
shoppers. Since 2006, industry has worked in partnership with government and
100s of everyday
products have been reformulated to make them healthier, in-line with government
guidelines.
Healthier choices will now fall foul of the government's illogical rules.
Start-ups and challenger brands
will find it much harder to get 'share of shelf' against established brands
without promotions to raise
their profile, leading to less choice for shoppers.”
Footnotes:
- Government data shows that, on
average, people would have to spend £634 a year more for the same food if
promotions were
banned.
- DHSC impacts assessments on price
promotions, location promotions and DCMS impact assessment on further advertising restrictions.
More Information
Contact Meg Bevan, Corporate Affairs Division, at: Megan.Bevan@fdf.org.uk, or 07946 340 998.
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