Food: Advertising

(asked on 25th March 2021) - View Source

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 23 March 2021 to Question 169025 on Food: Marketing, whether the Government will make it its policy to introduce the proposed restrictions on foods high in fat, salt and sugar in ways other than secondary legislation, in order to permit additional parliamentary scrutiny and debate.


Answered by
Jo Churchill Portrait
Jo Churchill
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
This question was answered on 13th April 2021

Non-regulatory options have been considered as insufficient to reduce the excess purchasing and therefore overconsumption of products high in fat, salt and sugar (HFSS). Previous voluntary actions by retailers, including through measures such as the public health responsibility deal, had limited impact. Businesses have also stated that voluntary action on promotions is not feasible.

We want to create a level playing field in which stores that make voluntary progress are no longer penalised. The response to the consultation on restricting promotions of HFSS food and drink made clear the Government’s intention to use powers in the Food Safety Act (FSA) 1990 to lay secondary legislation before Parliament by mid-2021. That position remains.

Reticulating Splines