ASO has joined the call, coordinated by Sustain, to the UK's food and drink retailers urging them to implement the regulations on junk food multibuy promotions, despite a government U-turn on the policy.
The letter, co-signed by leading health organisations, urges all retailers to do the right thing for children’s health, and not allow the Government’s hesitation to erode or divert efforts to phase out multi-buy promotions on high fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) products by October 2023.
The letter (available here) acknowledges that the retailers will have been working with suppliers and manufacturers to prepare for the introduction of the new regulations.
The UK's largest retailer Tesco has announced that it will maintain its own voluntary commitment to avoid volume-led promotions for less healthy food and drink, and focus on ways to offer their customers value. Sainsbury's has also phased out use of multi-buy promotions of HFSS food and drink.
The letter urges other retailers to join with them now in removing these deals across the industry.
The Government's own impact assessment provides evidence that multi-buy promotions on HFSS food drive excessive consumption, do not save people money and can act to displace healthier food and drink from shopping baskets. The signatories, which include Sustain, the Obesity Health Alliance, British Heart Foundation, Diabetes UK, Faculty of Public Health and the Royal College of Physicians, urge the companies to put healthier products in the promotional spotlight and avoid promotions that lead to excess purchase and consumption of HFSS food and drink.