The latest on investigating the impact of HFSS 

In October 2022, restrictions on the placement of products high in fat, salt, or sugar (HFSS) in retail settings came into force in England.1 As part of the Government’s Obesity Strategy Plan, the policy was introduced after research highlighted the importance of the shopping environment and how product location can impact consumer purchasing.2 The legislation caused the food industry to implement significant changes, including store layout changes by retailers and product reformulation efforts by manufacturers.

 While there has been data in the public domain that has shown how some HFSS categories have performed since the introduction of the legislation, research gaps currently include understanding how the legislation impacts wider purchasing, meeting dietary recommendations such as the Eatwell Guide, and those experiencing food insecurity. Addressing these gaps is vital, especially with plans to implement or extend the regulations in the devolved nations.

 We are working with ASDA, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s and Tesco, who collectively represent 65% of supermarket sales, to understand the impact of the HFSS legislation restricting location placement of HFSS products.3 This will be the first independent peer-reviewed evaluation of the legislation, with data analysed by the University of Leeds Customer Data Research Centre (CDRC). This research is part of a broader UKRI Transforming UK Food Systems academic collaboration, led by Professor Alex Johnstone at the University of Aberdeen on the Diet and Health Inequalities (DIO food) project. The DIO Foods project is an extension of the Food Insecurity in people living with Obesity (FIO Food) research, which aims to address dietary inequalities in people living with obesity and food insecurity to support sustainable and healthy food choices in the UK food system.*

The project will answer 4 key questions using data supplied by major retailers:

1. What happened to HFSS product sales after the introduction of the policy?

2. What happened to the retail product portfolios after the introduction of the policy?

3. Were the impacts of the HFSS legislation equitable across different sociodemographic groups across the country?

4. Has the HFSS legislation led to healthier overall purchasing using the Eatwell guide as a metric?

The project will include the analysis of changes to sales data, product portfolios and equability. Food and drinks sales from before and after the policy implementation will be evaluated, to understand how the HFSS legislation has impacted healthier food and beverage sales. Results will start to be shared in 2025.  As well as using other baseline measures, data from stores across England will be compared to data from stores in Wales and Scotland, where the legislation has not been implemented. By using stores across each decile of the Priority Places for Food Index (PPFI), the study will be able to identify how different types of neighbourhoods have been affected by the legislation. Full details of this research can be found in the academic protocol.

We are excited to be part of this unique project collaborating with academia and industry. We look forward to sharing the results later this year and providing insight for industry and policymakers into the impacts, strengths, and any unintended consequences of the legislation.

*This research was funded through the Transforming the UK Food System for Healthy People and a Healthy Environment SPF Programme, delivered by UKRI, in partnership with the Global Food Security Programme, BBSRC, ESRC, MRC, NERC, Defra, DHSC, OHID, Innovate UK and FSA. Grant award BB/W018021/1.

  References:

1. Public Health England. The Food (Price and Placement) (England) Regulations 2021. No 1368.

2. Department of Health and Social Care. Childhood obesity: a plan for action, chapter 2. London: 2018

3. Kantar Worldpanel Grocery Market Share as of 17/04/24