Restricting promotions of food and drink high in fat, sugar or salt: Stakeholder engagement summaries

1. Overview

Improving diet and levels of healthy weight remains a public health priority. As part of a wide range of action to improve diet, and help create a food environment which better supports healthier choices, this Government is committed to restricting promotions of food and drink high in fat, sugar or salt (HFSS) at the point of purchase.

The primary aim of the policy is to reduce the public health harms associated with the excess consumption of calories, fat, sugar and salt, including the risks of developing type 2 diabetes, various types of cancer and other conditions such as cardiovascular disease.

Building on previous engagement, a consultation took place in 2022 to inform further development and impact assessment of the policy. This provided the opportunity to take account of developments such as EU exit, COVID, cost of living and the introduction of equivalent restrictions in England.

Across November and December 2023, three Ministerial roundtables were held online with a range of stakeholders from public health organisations and businesses. These discussions helped shape a further public consultation on the proposed detail of the policy, which ran from 27 February to 21 May 2024.

During the consultation period, three more Ministerial roundtables were held virtually, to allow stakeholders to share their views on the proposed detail set out in the consultation directly with the Minister.

Stakeholders were asked to provide their views on proposals for inclusion within scope of the policy, including targeted foods, price and location restrictions, qualifying businesses and the proposed approach to enforcement and implementation.

This document provides a high-level summary of the six roundtable discussions.