Industry welcomes opportunity to put fresh produce in the spotlight
Abel & Cole has marked the introduction of new HFSS legislation by launching pop-up activations for its disruptive campaign ‘Unprocess your food’.
The initiative, timed for the launch of new rules restricting the promotion of ultra-processed food on 1 October, sees the organic box scheme specialist pull up outside major chains such as Krispy Kreme and McDonald’s in London to give shoppers a fresh look at what food can be.
Abel & Cole pointed out that in the UK, the average diet is over 57 per cent ultra-processed, with the figure even higher and continuing to rise in children. The firm is instead showcasing the benefits of fresh, organic fruit and veg, featuring no unnecessary artificial processes.
The campaign is running across out-of-home sites and radio in the London and Meridian regions, supported across digital and mail, for eight weeks from 27 August.
Abel & Cole’s head of marketing Georgina Holland said: “The new HFSS legislation marks a significant change in how HFSS brands can promote their products. It’s the perfect moment to take our message to the front door of London’s HFSS giants and celebrate the power of deliciously fresh, unprocessed food, grown as nature intended.
“We want to help as many people as possible experience the difference it can make – to their health, their families, and our planet.”
Opportunity to promote fruit and veg
The new regulations have broadly gone down well in the fresh produce industry. Rebecca Tobi, head of food business transformation at The Food Foundation, said, “It’s very welcome to see the restrictions on multibuy promotions for High Fat Salt Sugar (HFSS) foods finally coming in this week, after so many years of delays.
“While promotions make products cheaper, we also know that they encourage people to buy more of the promoted category than expected, and with promotions currently heavily skewed towards unhealthy foods this legislation is important for making sure that BOGOFs aren’t damaging our health in the process.
“The restrictions on HFSS location promotions which came in back in 2022 have proved very successful, and there is every reason to believe today’s legislation will be similarly impactful and force supermarkets to put healthier foods on offer. Only four per cent of multibuy deals across the major retailers are on fruit and veg, so we hope that supermarkets will use this legislation as an opportunity to much better promote the staple healthy foods that we all need to be eating more of.
“Looking ahead, price discounts and promotions remain a glaring loophole in the current HFSS restrictions and we would urge the government to relook at their exemption if they are committed to raising the healthiest generation of children ever.”
