Finally, consensus on HFSS laws: no one has any idea what’s going on

There have long been calls for more joined-up thinking across government and industry when it comes to tackling the obesity crisis.

So it’s great to see that there is now almost complete unanimity when it comes to No 10’s thinking on its flagship strategy plans: no one has a clue what’s going on.

After months of ‘will they won’t they?’ debate over a possible u-turn on Westminster’s proposals for a clampdown on HFSS promotions, reports yesterday suggested ministers had indeed decided to backtrack, amid fears banning bogofs and other multibuy deals while the country faces a cost of living crisis might not be the best idea.

The move was met with delight from Tory backbenchers, who have been calling for the ‘nanny state’ measures to be axed for months. Trade bodies have also welcomed the move: they previously warned the proposals would pile yet more inflationary pressure on families, who research this week shows are increasingly having to slash food budgets or go without meals altogether.

And with the PM clearly keen to shore up support in his party after its losses in last week’s council elections, neither did the news come as a complete surprise, even this late in the day. The ban is due to come into force in October, with retailers and suppliers facing a race against time to prepare.

What is shocking, however, even for this government, is the total lack of transparency and clarity over what this backtrack – if indeed it is one – will entail.

As of this morning, it was clear even officials in the Department of Health & Social Care hadn’t the foggiest idea what had been decided, with industry bodies and campaign groups also hitting a brick wall as they scrambled to get details.

The wise money appears to be on the government deciding to delay, or even jettison, the multibuy element of its plans concerning volume deals, which it’s claimed will particularly hit hard-up families.

But as things stand today, there are huge questions over what it means for this and other key parts of the plan, including the clampdown on promotions in prominent store locations as well as the restrictions on TV and internet advertising due next year.

This of course only adds to the tangled webs that have been woven. Just two weeks ago, Kellogg’s began legal action against the government, claiming the Nutrient Profiling Model used to decide which products are in scope of the ban was out of date and unfit for purpose.

And who can forget how the government first announced its consultation on the plans just days before a crucial Brexit vote, despite the papers having been ready for months?

Yet as the search for answers continue, it isn’t just health campaigners expressing anger.

“Whilst there will of course be many companies who welcome this, I think the government is going to have plenty of questions to answer if it scraps the plans, considering the huge investment companies have made in reformulation and coming up with new promotional strategies and layouts,” one industry source told The Grocer.

“If it was any other government, I would not believe this speculation, but this is not any other government.”

On that last point, again, surely everyone can agree.