Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the proposed restrictions on the promotion of foods high in fat, salt or sugar on the cost of living.

The impact assessment for volume promotions such as ‘buy one get one free’ shows that spending increases by 20% by encouraging households to purchase more than they need or intended to buy. The impact assessment for location promotions shows the placement of products within stores also significantly affects household spending, with end of aisle displays increasing sales of soft drinks by over 50%.

The Government is committed to reviewing the Regulations within five years of coming into force. The National Institute for Health Research’s Policy Research Programme has commissioned the National Centre for Social Research to assess the extent and nature of location-based promotions of food and drink high in fat, salt or sugar in supermarkets in England. Officials are developing further plans to evaluate the effectiveness and implementation of this policy.