What is HFSS and how does it impact me?

HFSS refers to food and drink products that are High in Fat, Sugar, and Salt. These products are subject to Government legislation that restricts how they can be promoted and advertised. As a convenience store owner, it's important to understand how these regulations may affect your business.

Display Locations

The placement of HFSS products in your store is also restricted. High-traffic areas such as your store entrance, checkout, and gondola end-of-aisle displays can no longer be used for displaying HFSS products.

These restrictions only apply to stores with more than 50 employees and an internal floor area of over 2,000 square feet.

It's crucial to rearrange your store layout to comply with these regulations and avoid penalties.

Promotions

For stores with more than 50 employees, volume-based promotions are now banned in England. This means you can no longer offer deals like multi-buys or "buy one, get one free" on HFSS products.

However, you can still include HFSS products in "meal deals" and promote them through single price reductions.

Keep in mind that the calculation of employee numbers may be influenced by membership of symbol groups.

Advertising

Advertising HFSS products is now more challenging. These items cannot be advertised on television between 5:30am and 9:00pm. Online restrictions are even stricter, with a total ban on advertising HFSS products expected to be enforced in 2025. This means you'll need to find alternative ways to promote these products to your customers.

Summary

Understanding and adapting to these HFSS regulations is essential for running a compliant and successful convenience store. By staying informed and making the necessary adjustments, you can continue to provide great products to your customers while adhering to the law.

For more information you can also check out the ACS (Association of Convenience Stores) website: https://www.acs.org.uk/advice/hfss-regulations