Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she will take to ensure restrictions on placement promotions for foods high in fat, salt and sugar do not increase the cost of goods for consumers experiencing the rising cost of living.

We recognise the need to balance implications costs and benefits to businesses individuals, society and the National Health Service. Following consultation, a number of exemptions were made to ease the impact on businesses where appropriate. The restrictions only apply to products that are high in fat, salt or sugar and are assessed as ‘less healthy’, retailers are free to promote products that are healthier and that are not deemed in scope of the policy.

The location restrictions on promotions which came into force on 1 October are expected to accrue health benefits of over £57 billion and provide NHS savings of over £4 billion, over the next 25 years. In light of the unprecedented global economic situation, we have delayed the implementation of the volume price promotions by 12-months. These restrictions will come into force in October 2023.