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The Scottish Retail Consortium is calling on the Scottish Government to rethink proposals to restrict the promotion and marketing of high fat, salt, and sugar products in stores. It follows the end of the Scottish Government’s consultation period yesterday. 

In a detailed consultation response the leading trade body, which represents food retailers including grocers, newsagents, food-to-go and quick service restaurants, said: 

  • There are some sensible elements to these proposals which retailers are willing and able to implement if required
  • However, many of the Scottish Government’s proposals go far beyond what is being planned for elsewhere in the UK, but without clear detail on how these proposals could be implemented
  • The proposed ban on temporary price promotions would harm Scottish food and drink businesses whilst putting up prices for shoppers
  • The rules around which businesses are in scope of the proposals are unclear and likely to confuse both businesses and consumers

These proposals come as retailers have just seen a £31 million hike in their business rates bills. Scottish Ministers are also considering a business rate surtax on larger grocery stores, as well as further measures on the promotion and marketing of alcohol, vaping products, and fireworks.


Ewan MacDonald-Russell, Deputy Head of the Scottish Retail Consortium, said:

Scotland’s food retailers are committed to helping consumers make healthier choices. Fresh fruit and vegetables are often the very first thing shoppers see when entering stores. The availability of healthy snack alternatives has risen considerably, and the quantity of fruit and vegetables in products like sandwiches and ready meals has increased. Our industry has led the way on reformulating products to reduce salt, sugar, and fat, and pioneered traffic light labelling and clear calorie and nutritional information to help consumers make informed choices.
The Scottish retail industry has been clear where there are evidence-based pragmatic proposals to tackle public health issues presented by Government then we’ll work with them to deliver them. Sadly, whilst some of the measures proposed in this consultation are sensible, the reality is there are far too many policies which are ill-defined and injurious to consumer choice and cost.
Despite significant engagement it’s still unclear which businesses, especially in hospitality, would be impacted by these proposals. It’s uncertain exactly which promotions the government wants to ban, and whether that includes everything from end of range Easter Eggs, end of life salads, or seasonal promotions. Sadly these proposals are nowhere near ready to go into regulation, and frankly many of them need to be taken back to the drawing board.
In the last week businesses have heard clearly from the First Minister that this new Scottish Government administration wants to prioritise economic growth. There are measures in this consultation retailers can, and indeed elsewhere in the UK will, support. The key test is whether Ministers are going to listen to business voices and take a realistic and balanced approach to delivering these restrictions. We hope the First Minister stands by his words.

The SRC’s consultation response can be read in full here.