UK to ban 'buy one get one' and free refills on unhealthy food items from April 2022

In a push to citizens to make healthy choices, Britain is set to ban promotional tactics on unhealthy food items such as ‘Buy one get one free’ offers and refills of sugary soft drinks in restaurants from April 2022. To tackle one of the most prevalent health issues in the nation, obesity, the British government on December 28 said that it is planning to restrict food that is high in fat, sugar, or salt. As per reports, nearly two-thirds of adults in England are overweight leading one in four children to leave primary school overweight or obese. 

The promotions will also be restricted in stores including on products that can be advertised and the unhealthy promotions will not be present at the checkouts, entrances or even at the end of aisles. As per reports, Britain’s health minister Jo Churchill said that the government is “restricting promotions” in order to ensure a range of measures to ensure “healthy choice is the easy choice”. According to the minister, it would further create an environment that helps the individual to eat comparatively healthier foods regularly and it is crucial to improve the health of the citizens.

Jo Churchill repotredly said, "Creating an environment which helps everyone eat healthier foods more regularly is crucial to improving the health of the nation.” 

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UK govt first announced it in July 2020

In July 2020, the British government had first announced “Tackling obesity: empowering adults and children to live healthier lives” that it would legislate the ban on the promotion of high fat, sugar and salt (HFSS) products by volume and location in both online as well as offline stores ion England. In the wake of the same, on December 28, the government published a formal “consultation response” on December 28.

The government, in a statement, also said that the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the impact of obesity on people’s health. It further said, “Evidence suggests people living with obesity who contract COVID-19 are more likely to be admitted to hospital and have an increased risk of dying from COVID-19 compared to non-obese patients. Tackling obesity is therefore an immediate priority to support individuals and the NHS.”

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