Prime Minister Liz Truss has indicated that restrictions looking to ban multibuy promotions such as buy one get one free (BOGOF) deals on high in fat, salt or sugar products (HFSS) could be scrapped.
Set to come into play next October, the legislation – which looks to tackle obesity levels across the UK – will follow on from restrictions banning HFSS products from aisle ends, store entrances and checkout stations which rolled out across the retail sector last week.
During her speech at the Conservative Party Conference this week, Truss said: “I’m not going to tell you what to do or what to think or how to live your life. I’m not interested in how many two-for-one offers you buy at the supermarket.”
According to The Guardian, the review of HFSS restrictions ordered by the Treasury last month came as part of the PM’s ambition to reduce burdens on business and help shoppers through the cost-of-living crisis.
The trio of regulations which includes changes to product placements, bans on BOGOF and ‘three for two’ deals, as well as television advertising of ‘unhealthy’ products to be stopped before 9pm were all originally planned to be implemented across supermarkets, convenience stores and television channels at the same time.
Currently, BOGOF restrictions – if rolled out – will come into play from October 2023, while television advert bans won’t come into force until January 2024.
Despite setbacks, leading retailer Tesco announced earlier this year that it would continue to commit to BOGOF deal bans across its supermarket stores and work closely with its suppliers to ensure the change happened.
