Local shop owners urge retailers to ‘start planning now’ for new High Fat Salt and Sugar (HFSS) regulations, set to be introduced on 1 October 2022.
Speaking at the 2022 Food & Drink Expo, at the NEC, Birmingham, Southern Co-op business manager, Mike Fitton, and Spar owner and director, Julian Taylor-Green, said “a lot’ of” work needs to be done between the retailers and all parties involved to be fully prepared for new HFSS regulations.
Fitton and Taylor-Green sat on the ‘What will the HFSS regulations mean for local shops?’ panel, where they were joined by Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) government relations director Edward Woodall and The Food Foundation business engagement manager Chloe MacKean.
As a result, Fitton said it is “easier” for Southern Co-op stores to adjust their layout to comply with the new regulations as out of its 60 stores, only 30 stores are impacted by the new regulations.
READ MORE: HFSS: Which FMCG brands are reformulating bestsellers ahead of October’s law change
However, Taylor-Green highlighted that with just six months to go, work needs to be done to ensure retailers and their supply chain systems are set up so that the correct products can come through.
“Our wholesalers are in the process of creating plans for us and give us ideas in terms of their interpretation of it,” Taylor-Green said.
“It’s important to make sure the budget fits, it’s very easy to talk about all these things, but if you haven’t budgeted for it, you won’t know the costs or return of investment.”
Fitton added: “Retailers need to understand that October is the deadline date, if you’re 2000 sq ft or over, it is down to you.
“If you don’t start planning now, you’re gonna have problems, six months to get everything ready.”
This talk comes after Best-One Preens owner Lewis Prager demanded a change in the “problematic” High Fat Salt and Sugar (HFSS) regulations at the ‘Tapping into Talent: Convenience Stores Rising Stars’ panel.
He said one thing that “needs to change” is less regulation in the industry, especially with the HFSS rule being introduced later this year.
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