Supermarket shelves in Wales to soon look very different after introduction of food ban
Supermarket shelves in Wales are about to look very different.
From early next year, a new law will ban popular high-fat, salt, and sugar (HFSS) foods from being sold near checkouts or in high-traffic zones like store entrances and queueing areas.
The Food (Promotion and Presentation) (Wales) Regulations 2025 will also outlaw “buy one, get one free” and multi-buy deals on dozens of Britain’s best-loved treats.
That means no more:
– Chocolate bars or crisps at the till
– 2-for-1 cakes or sweet biscuit offers
– Sugary cereal deals at the aisle end
– Refillable fizzy drinks in fast food outlets
83% of promotional buys are made on impulse, according to Welsh Government data — and nearly half of all prime-positioned products in supermarkets are sugary or salty foods.
Richard Price, grocery expert at British food export platform Britsuperstore said of the latest policies:
“This is one of the most significant supermarket shake-ups we’ve seen in years. In Wales, products like chocolate bars, crisps, sweetened yoghurts and sugary cereals are being pushed out of the most visible and influential places in-store, and the promotions that help sell them are being wiped out.
“You’ll still be able to buy these foods, but you won’t see them in your eyeline when you’re queueing, or in that tempting spot at the till. And you won’t be able to rely on those big offers, no more 3-for-2 on biscuits, or BOGOF on fizzy drinks.
“This doesn’t mean the end of your favourite foods, but it is the end of grabbing them at the checkout, or chucking them in because they’re on a deal.
“For retailers, this will mean shifting store layouts and placing healthier choices front and centre. I expect to see more fruit, veg, and low-sugar snack promotions where sweets and crisps used to be.
“From a shopper’s perspective, the changes will be subtle at first, but you’ll definitely feel it when you realise your usual end-of-aisle deal isn’t there.
“And while this is starting in Wales, we already know England and Scotland are looking at similar policies. That means these changes could soon affect every supermarket in the UK.
“So if you love a reduced pizza or a cheeky chocolate bar at the till, now’s the time to enjoy them, because those days are officially numbered.”
The 16 food and drink categories affected by the new regulations
Soft drinks
Chocolate confectionery
Sugar confectionery
Cakes
Ice cream
Pastries and croissants
Puddings and dairy desserts
Sweet biscuits
Breakfast cereals
Yogurts
Sugary milk drinks
Sugary juice drinks
Pizza
Crisps and savoury snacks
Ready meals (e.g. burgers, nuggets, breaded chicken/fish)
Chips and potato products
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Presumably a pizza can still be half price, and you could still choose to buy two. It’s only deals that force people to buy more than they might otherwise do to get the discount that’s a problem.
“PRICE JUST REDUCED” I can see the new offer plans to get around these rules right now. As long as they slap it on every item where the price was reduced it should be fine.
It’s going to be interesting to see how this plays out as generally stores only use BOGOF type offers when they haven’t sold as many as they expected and need to shift stock. Which probably means more food waste when predictions of customer demand don’t come true.
A very sensible policy. Consideration should also be given to copying other countries: Canadian supermarkets do not sell alcohol and hotels restrict alcohol consumption to bars / restaurants only – so not in rooms. France has lots of motorway service stations that focus on selling healthy meals (UK does not), lorry drivers restaurants are excellent https://www.relais-routiers.com/ and major chains such as https://www.flunch.fr/ sell healthy meals. If we drank less and ate better the NHS should have fewer patients treated from unhealthy lifestyles. Change often happens when there is a profit incentive; the Senedd / Chambers need to work with Flunche… Read more »
The nanny state! Soon we will be told what colour clothes to wear, so that’s the freedom of speech gone now the freedom to choose going and I can expect a knock on the door front the police now for typing this message, wake up Wales.
It’s terrifying to watch people clapping on the destruction of freedom of choice, freedom of movement and speech. What happened to personal responsibility? We have no excuse for our stupidity, communist and authoritarian governments in other countries have demonstrated what happens.
Your freedom isn’t being changed by these policies. It’s the freedom of corporations to exploit your weaknesses for profit in ways the rest of us pay for with higher taxes to fund the NHS.
Just walk to the chocolate isle to buy your chocolate. Buy your lard sandwich, lard bar and diet lard drink separately instead of being bribed to do so by a corporation.
That’s your personal choice.
Have you not read the article? You can still buy what you want it just won’t be displayed so prominently. If you over eat highly processed food it’s your choice and you can accept the consequences of heart disease and strokes. Don’t expect Farage’s privatised NHS to help.
The second you step into a supermarket they have you. The whole layout is set up to make you buy stuff. Why do you think they like your facebook data, why do you think they look after their profits before you. Why do you think they move shelves constantly. Why do you think deals are set up including loss leaders. It is all to take your money.
You can still buy rubbish food, just there will be no incentives for you to get mugged by the supermarket.
Yet again lazy people and politicians blaming food when should be banning electric bikes of all kinds, electric scooters as so many people especially children don’t walk, kids being dropped of to school 5 mins down the road, given tablets, phones etc from age of 2 just to keep them quiet, parks with drunks, druggies and homeless people keeping parents away that’s if your council keeps them usable and don’t sell the land off, no school sports teams for fear of being sued, mc donalds when i was a kid was a treat not a must have like now just… Read more »
They take off comments that don’t match their policy
Too many BOGOFs just disadvantage smaller households and encourage waste.
But I doubt we’ll see many half price offers in their place
But how many BOGOFs are only possible because the store doubled the price up a month before the discount started. That temporary hike disadvantages and annoys those that purchased the same product a week earlier. Why not just have prices that genuinely reflect the wholesale price, and stop with the trickery and gimmicks.
The same people who will bang on about the nanny state will want the same nanny state government to give them free weight loss drugs to help with their self-inflicted obesity.
My point exactly but as you will see above I’ve upset some of the more easily offended
There is no reference above of any comment, who exactly did you upset. 😁😁 screen grab, done.
Someone is deleting comments. No doubt the negative score crossed a threshold and the comment got sent to the touchline !
Ban all electric scooters, bikes and ban tablets, consoles for children under 10 so have to go outside, remove school drop off points so kids have to walk the 5 to 10 mins to school, bring back school sports teams and just make the parents sign a waiver so cant sue the school. Food is only part of the problem why more people are fat but it’s an easy cop out to just blame food instead of facing the whole problem.
Siri, show me someone who has not read the article.
🤣🤣😂 screen grab for future reference 😁
Just what is going on in this country now.? when a bunch of people are telling us what we should or should not eat, this bunch of people should mind their own business, and keep their views to themselves.or perhaps you would prefer to live somewhere like Russia where everything you do is controlled by the government, this country is going to the dogs at the moment wake up for god’s sake.
Nobody is telling you what to eat. Read the article. They are simply removing offers on unhealthy food but you can still buy them.
Should have gone further,
I doubt this will make a significant difference. The main issue in Western countries is inactivity due to our car-centred societies. We need to start building our urban areas around people again. We need more children walking or cycling to school instead of being driven, and more adults walking or cycling to work. People who do this regularly are healthier and happier than people who don’t. It’s going to be hard because you’re fighting against decades of car centric design but if we don’t want the NHS to collapse under the weight of diabetes and obesity it’s the only way… Read more »
With the big supermarkets now offering ice creams and chocolate bars in their meal deals, which are designed to create a daily habit, there is a genuine problem.
Found this online Yes, even healthy eating can cause problems if taken to extremes. While a balanced, healthy diet is crucial for overall well-being, an obsessive focus on “healthy” foods, known as orthorexia, can lead to negative physical and mental health consequences. Additionally, certain healthy foods, if consumed in excess, can cause issues due to their chemical composition or caloric density. Here’s a more detailed look: 1. Orthorexia: Definition: Orthorexia nervosa is an obsession with healthy eating that can become restrictive and lead to malnourishment, social isolation, and a diminished quality of life. Symptoms: It can manifest as strict rules… Read more »
With all the things the qelsh goverment could do to fix wales and this is it, what a waste of taxpayers cash, I want my taxes back
Why not BOGOF deals on fruit and veg??? How often do you see that?
Yep.
About time. Supermarkets have always been about the bottom line and use a lot of clout from ad agencies etc. that build systems to dangle the bad stuff at you.
Lets see how this runs.