Lords Committee to hear from Minister on deferring product multibuy ban
16 October 2023 (updated on 16 October 2023)
Tomorrow, Tuesday 17 October 2023, the cross-party House of Lords Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee will hear from Neil O’Brien MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Primary Care and Public Health, Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) as part of its consideration of the Food (Promotion and Placement) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2023 SI 2023/949.
The instrument, the third in a series, defers the implementation of a ban on the marketing of multibuy offers of high fat, sugar and salt (HFSS) products in medium and large businesses in England for a further two years, meaning that the ban will not come into effect until October 2026. The ban will apply both in physical stores and online.
While the Explanatory Memorandum to the instrument offered reasons for the delay, the Committee will seek further clarification on the rationale for the deferment. Questions to the Minister will also focus on the impact of the delay on DHSC’s wider programme for reducing obesity in children and on the effect on the NHS.
The session will start at 4.00pm and will be available to watch live or on demand at Parliament TV or in person in Committee Room 4, Palace of Westminster.
Giving evidence will be:
- Neil O’Brien MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Primary Care and Public Health, DHSC, and
- Kevin Dodds, Deputy Director, Healthy Weight, Food and Nutrition Policy, DHSC.