The government’s decision to delay the ban on HFSS multi-buys and pre-watershed advertising has sparked some heated debate.
Jamie Oliver protested outside Number 10 on Friday 20 May with his #EtonMess campaign, calling on the PM to backtrack on the decision, while elsewhere retailers are taking the initiative to implement the proposed regulations regardless of the ban being put on hold.
If you believe that marketing works, you have to believe that the ban has merit. But timing is everything, and this could well be one of the worse times to force an increase in the cost of any product that people rely on.
The delay in the ban comes against a catastrophic economic backdrop: retailers and food manufacturers are facing operational challenges on a scale they have never seen before; and the escalating cost of living crisis means families are getting ever savvier about shopping on deal.
With about 40% of all groceries being bought on promotion, reducing that availability will put further pressure on already hard-pressed households.
Obesity is an economic issue: it disproportionately affects poorer households. More than a third of UK children are overweight by the age of 10, but the difference in likelihood of obesity between the poorest and most affluent households is stark.
We can’t keep putting off definitive action on HFSS food, but it needs to be introduced in tandem with greater support for poorer families across the board. The headlines this week suggest that retailers and manufacturers alike, even those firmly in the HFSS industry, support a tighter regulatory environment.
READ MORE: Cut out the crap: Will the HFSS junk food ad ban delay make any difference?
It has been interesting to see the industry response. Sainsbury’s chief marketing officer, Mark Given, said: “We are committed to continuing to follow the government’s original HFSS promotional timelines and call on the rest of the industry to do the same”.
Several other retailers have responded in a similar vein as they try and balance customers’ dual needs of affordability now and healthier lives for the longer term.
From a brand perspective, it makes good sense too. Showing leadership on the issues that matter most, builds long term brand equity. We saw during the pandemic that grocers take their role of ‘feeding the nation’ incredibly seriously and, as the cost-of-living crisis has intensified, similar commitment to making good food affordable has been apparent.
Over the past year, 60% or more of Sainsbury’s promotions were on ‘healthier’ or ‘better for you’ choices. That’s a practical and tangible action to help people when they most need it and action is a key part of what brands, in grocery and FMCG, need to focus on now.
The Ogilvy UK Cost of Living report published in May 2022, sets out three broad principles for brands to think about as they develop value-based strategies against this recessionary backdrop; it talks about blending promise with empathy and action.
Promise is about staying true to the foundations a brand is built on; in grocery and manufacturing, the UK has a raft of brands which trade on their ability to ‘help’ and now is the time to prove that is more than just words. Empathy is about understanding what consumers need now; it is about tuning in to often competing needs and being nimble enough to act fast as they evolve.
And, of course it is all about action – about doing something material which will have genuine positive impact on the people and families who consume the brand.
Retailers, manufactures, policy makers and consumers themselves have a shared responsibility (and opportunity) to create a food culture which is sustainable, healthy and affordable. We have not yet arrived at the right balance to satisfy all of those aims.
The more progressive grocers and manufacturers are trying to create that culture – through supply chains, trading, pricing, promotions and communications – and it may prove that they can do so without the added complexity of a new regulatory environment.
We have already seen some encouraging innovation and ingenuity from the sector as they navigate a multitude of operational and economic challenges. If necessity is the mother of invention, we can expect to see some great strides being made in how we feed our nation over the coming year.
Jo Arden is the chief strategy officer at Ogilvy UK
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