Some supermarkets in the UK have been found to “blatantly disregard” government rules that set out where they can place foods high in fat, salt or sugar (HFSS).
In a survey conducted by Obesity Health Alliance (OHA) and Food Active, roughly a quarter of the 25 grocery stores they had visited were found to be “showing a blatant disregard for the policy and children’s health”.
These stores had breached the rules by putting sweets, crisps, fizzy drinks and other junk and HFSS foods in prominent locations, including near checkouts or in end-of-aisle displays, as well as highly visible places in online shopping.
The new report follows in the wake of the government introducing regulations on food promotion and placement for supermarkets last year.
Regulations were imposed on retailers with more than 50 employees or in stores larger than 2,000 sq. ft, and gave trading standards officers the ability to fine these larger supermarkets disregarding the rules.
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Yet the ‘Location, location, location’ report found that officers did not have the resources to inspect shops, while others pointed out that supermarket managers were often unaware of the new rules.
Despite this, OHA director, Katherine Jenner, argued that progress on HFSS restrictions had so far been promising.
“This shows that regulation can help make the healthy choice the easy choice for everyone,” Jenner said.
“It also shows that, unfortunately, the food industry will often only follow the letter, not the spirit, of the law.
“This regulation was designed to help take junk food out of the spotlight but, due to exemptions in the policy, too many unhealthy food and drink products remain highly visible both in-store and online.”
Earlier in the year, the government delayed making further HFSS in-store regulations, pushing back a ban on two-for-one promotional deals on junk food.
