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Tyas is among a wide array of experts speaking at the one-day conference, which takes place on Tuesday 15 March at America Square in London

Chris Tyas, who led the government’s response to the Covid pandemic, will be sharing his thoughts on how to tackle the government’s HFSS clampdown at The Grocer’s conference later this month.

The ex-Nestlé supply chain supremo and head of the Food Resilience Industry Forum is speaking in his capacity as chair of GS1, whose barcodes will be used by retailers and suppliers to share and manage HFSS data. 

Tyas is among a wide array of experts speaking at the one-day conference, which takes place on Tuesday 15 March at America Square in London.

New speakers in the now-finalised programme include Cody McKim, CPG vertical lead at TikTok; Ian Maskell, VP ice cream at Unilever; Susan Jebb, professor of diet and health at the university of Oxford; and Sarah Smart, general manager at The Collective.

Other companies represented at the conference include Coca-Cola, Perfetti van Melle, Little Moons, Spar, Trading Standards, KP Snacks and ShareAction. 

It comes as the government prepares to introduce the most radical crackdown on HFSS food and drink marketing and promotion in the world, promising to tackle the chronic obesity crisis gripping the UK through a combination of in-store, online and advertising legislation. 

The first tranche of legislation, covering in-store and online promotions, is set to come into force in October, and already supermarkets and convenience store operators are working on trials, while suppliers are making plans of their own to ensure products are HFSS compliant wherever possible.

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But at an estimated cost of at least £3bn for this key plank in the government strategy alone, there is a huge amount resting on the execution, which is expected to result in the biggest changes to supermarket layouts in over 40 years, while further changes scheduled for introduction in January 2023 will ban HFSS advertising – severely limiting the ability of brands to market HFSS food and drink both online and on TV.

With a lot of uncertainty and missing details, and retailers adopting different plans, The Grocer’s HFSS clampdown conference will offer a comprehensive briefing to meet the information needs of both retailers and suppliers, calling on experts in policy, compliance and execution.

“The whole world will be watching the UK’s health & obesity plans” 

Adam Leyland, editor-in-chief, The Grocer

Issues to be tackled at the HFSS clampdown conference will include range reviews, in-store marketing, shopper behaviour changes, store layout plans, exemptions and opportunities, the future of advertising, the role of online and social media promotion, likely impacts on obesity, further health policy developments, the role of new product development, and more.

“The whole world will be watching the UK’s health & obesity plans, which are unprecedented in their ambition and reach,” said Adam Leyland, The Grocer’s editor-in-chief, who will be chairing the one-day conference. “With 34 speakers signed up, this conference will offer incredible and far-reaching insight into the legislation, its impact and solution.” 

With a mixture of presentations and panel discussions, there will be lots of scope to answer questions from delegates. And, as we emerge from lockdown, the conference will also provide welcome opportunties for idea sharing and networking in person, including sponsorship booths and delegate packs. 

The Grocer Conference: HFSS Clampdown will take place from 9am-5pm on Tuesday 15 March at America Square, City of London.

For more information, including booking tickets, speaker details and the full, final programme, see thegrocer-conferences.co.uk.