Food industry leaders will meet ministers on Wednesday for crunch talks over plans to ramp up the ban on junk food advertising and HFSS promotions in supermarkets.
Retailers and suppliers are calling on the government to delay the proposed introduction of a new nutrient profiling model, put forward by the DHSC in January, just weeks after the HFSS advertising ban on TV and online came into force.
FDF leader Karen Betts led calls for urgent talks with the government, claiming that the planned switch to the 2018 model would lead to huge swathes of products effectively being banned from advertising and in-store promotions.
The Grocer understands the meeting in Westminster will see public health minister Ashley Dalton and farming and food security minister Angela Eagle, from Defra, as well as representatives from the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) meet with industry trade bodies representing retailers and manufacturers across the sector.
It’s understood Wednesday’s talks will focus on industry claims that it would be wrong for the government to “move the goalposts” of HFSS regulation so soon after the much-delayed HFSS ad ban came into force.
Major concerns have been expressed by the industry over plans by the DHSC to publish a new consultation later this month about how the new model will be brought in, arguing that the economic situation and cost of living crisis means food companies should not face further upward pressure on prices.
Industry bodies are also calling for a major impact study to be carried out before the consultation goes ahead.
The Grocer revealed in January that food bosses were warning brands, which have invested millions in reformulation, that they would face the ban under the government’s plan to use the tougher regulations to underpin the legislation.
It would bring thousands more products under its advertising and promotions bans, including cereals, fruit juices, yoghurts and smoothies, with industry leaders angry that the move would include many products that have been reformulated at a cost of millions.
An industry source said: “Businesses are pleased this meeting is happening and that there will be representatives from across the food system in the room.
“There are serious concerns from across industry on this change, so it’s good that government has heard those concerns and arranged this session so we can have that open discussion. We hope they’ll listen to feedback about the complexity of switching to the 2018 model and potential for unintended consequences.”
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