The Scottish Government has backtracked on its controversial plan to ban meal deals in its proposals for restrictions on the promotion of food and drink that is High in Fat, Sugar and Salt (HFSS), it announced today (18th June).
The revised proposals come after a backlash from industry bodies such as the Scottish Grocers Federation, the Scottish Retail Consortium and Food and Drink Federation Scotland, which all took part in the consultation that ended in May, and bring Scotland in line with the rest of the UK. The announcement means the proposal to end Temporary Price Reductions, such as Christmas promotions, and Meal deals will no longer be included when the proposals come into force in Autumn 2026.
The new proposals mean that businesses with over 50 members of staff, including stores operating under a franchise/symbol group arrangement will be included in the ‘Price Promotion Restrictions’, such as multi-buy and free refills of soft drinks with added sugar.
Restrictions for multi-buy products sees a similar approach to that south of the border, which will see a ban on promotions of multi-buys – such as 2 for 1, 2 for the price of £1 or buy 3 and get the fourth free etc. – across pre-packed HFSS products.
Stores over 2,000 sq.ft (185.8 m²) in floorspace will also see ‘location restrictions’. Meaning that HFSS products cannot be displayed around checkout areas, end of aisles, covered external areas, and store entrances.
Stores under 2,000 sq.ft (185.8 m²) in floorspace – regardless of their operational status – will be exempt from such display restrictions.
SGF head of policy & public affairs, Luke McGarty, said: “SGF believes in responsible community retailing and our members work hard to deliver lifeline services to communities across Scotland. So, it’s a big win for SGF and the sector that the Scottish Government has listened to our concerns about the practicality and impacts of including cost saving deals for customers such as Meal Deals and TPRs in the measures.
“We can also welcome the fact that free-standing displays and stores under 2,000 square feet will be exempt from the in-store display restrictions, which means that the proposals are similar to measures already in place south of the border, and the majority of convenience stores in Scotland won’t need to rearrange their store to comply to the regulations. One area where we do have questions, however, is the decision to include independent retailers that are part of a symbol group in the price promotion restrictions.
“Nonetheless, we argued for a longer implementation period to ensure the sector has time to adjust to the measures, so we are delighted that this concern has been taken into consideration by ministers. Over the next 16 months SGF will be working with ministers to ensure that retailers have clear guidance and everything they need to make the transition as easily as possible.”
