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

2. Public Health Roundtable – November 2023 – Summary of discussion

Thursday 16 November 2023, 09:45-10:45

Microsoft Teams meeting

Attendees:

• Jenni Minto MSP, Minister for Public Health and Women’s Health
• Scottish Government officials
• British Heart Foundation
• Bite Back
• Cancer Research UK
• Diabetes Scotland
• Food Standards Scotland
• Obesity Action Scotland
• Public Health Scotland
• NCD Alliance Scotland

Summary of discussion

1. Welcome and Introduction

• The Minister for Public Health and Women’s Health welcomed attendees to the meeting and provided an overview of the agenda.
• The purpose of the roundtable was to allow for focused discussion on areas of the policy which have generated significant feedback from stakeholders, specifically meal deals, temporary price reduction and business exemptions.
• Briefing and questions were circulated to attendees in advance to help facilitate focused discussion.

2. Meal Deals

Question:

There are different ways in which we could restrict meal deal promotions. What would be the preferred approach to targeting meal deals from a public health perspective and why?

Discussion

Attendees shared their views in response to the above question. In the discussion the following attendee views were noted:

• Unanimous support for including meal deals in the policy to maximise its effectiveness.
• Restrictions should align with the proposed Welsh Government approach and cover non-pre-packed HFSS food alongside pre-packed items, to prevent loopholes and maximise impact.
• Children’s meals should be targeted alongside options aimed at adults.
• Importance of careful consideration of how the policy is communicated, with a focus on improving access to healthier foods and to promote the value of healthier options.

3. Temporary Price Reductions (TPRs)

Questions:

• What are your views on the public health impacts/benefits (including unintended consequences) of: i) targeting TPRs; and ii) not targeting TPRs
• We welcome any evidence stakeholder may be able to share that could contribute to the evidence base on TPRs?

Discussion

Attendees shared their views in response to the above questions. In the discussion it was noted:

• Attendees strongly supported the inclusion of TPRs within the policy, highlighting their prevalence and the risk of creating a loophole that could undermine the public health impact of the policy if not targeted.
• Attendees indicated a preference for alignment with the Welsh Government's approach to TPRs; TPRs should be within scope of restrictions.
• There is a need for flexibility in the regulations in order to respond to changing industry behaviour.

4. Business Exemptions

Questions:

• Based on your knowledge and experience, how will the public health benefits of the policy be impacted if smaller businesses are exempt from: i) location restrictions? ii) price and location restrictions?
• Based on your knowledge and experience what would the impact on disadvantaged groups be if smaller businesses are exempt from: i) location restrictions? ii) price and location restrictions?

Discussion

Attendees shared their views in response to the above questions. In the discussion the following attendees views were noted:

• There should be as few exemptions as possible in order to maximise the impact of the policy.
• Exempting smaller stores, especially in rural areas and areas of multiple deprivation, could exacerbate health inequalities.
• There may be implementation challenges in small stores. Attendees suggested additional support may be needed to enable small stores to offer healthier choices.
• It was suggested that it will be important to learn from the regulations in England in respect of exemptions.

5. Final Comments and Close

• Attendees reiterated support for the legislation, emphasising the importance of taking time to get it right rather than rushing it.
• The Minister thanked attendees for their valuable contributions, welcoming additional written representations to officials by Wednesday 13 December. In addition, attendees were invited to contact officials should they wish to meet to discuss the issue further.
• The Minister noted the roundtable session is the next step in an extensive consultation process and responses would be fed into a suite of impact assessment as well as to further inform our forthcoming consultation on the detail of proposed regulations.