Public Health England (PHE) has issued an October 2015 evidence review urging the U.K. government to reduce sugar consumption. Building on the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition’s (SACN’s) conclusion that free sugar intake should constitute less than 5 percent of dietary energy, the report discusses food and beverage marketing, sugar accessibility and product composition, educational efforts, and local initiatives. PHE also addresses taxation schemes, noting that price increases “can influence purchasing of sugar-sweetened drinks and other high sugar products at least in the short-term.” The findings target retail promotions and marketing to children as two key aspects of the food environment that allegedly promote sugar consumption. Among other things, the report specifically recommends (i) restricting the number and type of price promotions across all retail outlets; (ii) reducing food and beverage marketing to children as well as adults; (iii) defining high-sugar foods according to Ofcom’s nutrient profiling model; (iv) instituting…
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The U.K. Food Standards Agency (FSA) has issued a call for research exploring how the Internet of Things (IoT) could affect food safety. Working with The IT as a Utility Network Plus, FSA seeks short-term pilot studies “intended to test new ideas or create novel linkages between research areas.” In particular, the joint initiative seeks to focus on (i) “IoT data, data standards and sharing”; (ii) “IoT transport and food, particularly temperature control”; (iii) “organizing hackathon events to exploit, disseminate and excite opportunities of IoT from farm to table”; and (iv) “what happens to food in people’s homes.” FSA will accept submissions until November 2, 2015. Issue 581
The U.K. Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has released a trio of decisions upholding complaints against two distilleries and a bread company over allegedly misleading advertisements. Ruling against Summerhall Distillery Ltd. in a complaint filed by a rival company, ASA took issue with advertisements for “hand crafted” Pickering’s Gin that touted Summerhall as Edinburgh’s first gin distillery in more than 150 years, a claim the authority found could not be substantiated. “We considered that linking the product to the heritage of the spirit trade in Edinburgh and to imply that it was related to a revival of this industry was likely to be of particular interest to some consumers, and that its provenance in this context was therefore material information,” states ASA’s decision, which notes the presence of distillery operations within Edinburgh since 1863. “Because the claims had not been substantiated, we concluded that the ads were misleading.” In addition, ASA sided…
The Committees of Advertising Practice (CAP), a group that works in conjunction with the U.K. Advertising Standards Authority, has announced a pre-consultation with various stakeholders in advance of new rules targeting non-broadcast advertising of food and soft drinks high in fat, salt or sugar to children. Non-broadcast channels of advertising include online, outdoor, print media, cinema, and direct marketing. “Our decision to carry out a public consultation responds, in part, to changes in children’s media habits and evolving advertising techniques,” according to CAP. “It also reflects a growing consensus, shared by public health and industry bodies, about the role of advertising self-regulation in helping to bring about a change in the nature and balance of food advertising targeted to children.” CAP reportedly plans to launch the public consultation in early 2016. See CAP News Release, September 29, 2015. Issue 580
The U.K. Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has upheld a complaint against Internet advertisements for Drink Doctor Ltd.’s alcohol delivery service, ruling that two banners on the company’s Facebook page “drew a link between provision of alcohol and the provision of medical assistance.” In its ruling, the agency contends that even though consumers were unlikely to confuse Drink Doctor with genuine medical assistance, the use of medical imagery “presented alcohol as a product to be used in the same manner” as medicine. ASA also takes issue with the “boozebulance” vehicle and emergency phone number featured in the ads, as these reportedly implied that alcohol beverages were “necessary and indispensable.” “We also considered that the name ‘Drink Doctor’ in itself contained the same implication by conflating the role of a medical professional with the provision of alcohol,” concludes the ruling, which orders Drink Doctor to refrain from using medical imagery or terminology…
The U.K. Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has upheld a complaint alleging that an online “instant-win” promotion organized by Kettle Foods Ltd. was misleading because it required participants to register before finding out if they had won a prize. According to ASA, the U.K. Code of Non-broadcast Advertising, Sales Promotion and Direct Marketing (CAP Code) states that “participants in instant-win promotions must get their winnings at once or must know immediately what they have won and how to claim without delay, cost or administrative barriers.” Kettle Foods reportedly advertised “instant win prizes” on its potato chip packages, which featured a unique code with instructions directing entrants to a website. Before viewing their potential winnings, consumers were asked to provide identifying information, including full name, postal code, telephone number, email address, date of birth, and a chosen password for subsequent visits. As required by law, the company also offered a “no purchase…
U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron has announced new measures added to the Modern Slavery Act, which took effect on July 31, 2015, that will require global companies to publish an annual slavery and human trafficking statement. The added provisions, which take effect in October, affect companies with a turnover of ₤36 million or more that conduct business within the United Kingdom. “This measure is one of the first of its kind in the world and it will be a huge step forward, introducing greater accountability on business for the condition of their supply chains,” Cameron was quoted as saying in a July 29 press release. Issue 574
Britain’s Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) has published a report condemning government policies aimed at reducing the consumption of sugar. “Just as fat seems to have been given an amnesty, so sugar is now in the dock,” according to report co-authors Rob Lyons and Christopher Snowdon. “So what exactly is the evidence that sugar is deadly? Can one substance really be responsible for a plethora of chronic diseases? If so, are the calls for action to reduce sugar consumption – including taxes and regulations – justified?” See IEA News Release, July 15, 2015. Issue 573
The U.K. Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) has released its final Carbohydrate and Health report recommending that “free sugars account for no more than 5% of daily energy intake.” Asked by the U.K. Department of Health and the Food Standards Agency to “examine the latest evidence on the links between consumption of carbohydrates, sugars, starch and fiber and a range of health outcomes,” the expert panel commissioned systematic reviews of evidence from prospective cohort studies and randomized controlled trials, in addition to considering comments submitted in response to its first draft report. Based on these findings, the report concludes, among other things, that (i) “high levels of sugar consumption are associated with a greater risk of tooth decay”; (ii) “drinking high-sugar beverages results in weight gain and increases in BMI in teenagers and children”; and (iii) “consuming too many high-sugar beverages increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.”…
Diageo Great Britain Ltd. reportedly plans to appeal the U.K. Advertising Standards Authority’s (ASA’s) decision to ban a Smirnoff ® advertisement for allegedly violating the marketing rules for social responsibility in alcohol marketing. Upholding its own complaint, which claimed that the ad in question linked social success to alcohol consumption, ASA found that “the ad’s presentation implied that before the visitor asked for an alcoholic drink, the bar was cold and uninviting and that once his drink had been ordered, the bar changed and became livelier and more fun.” Diageo disputed this interpretation, arguing that the TV spot showed the bar “tilting” to filter out the elements that gave it an unwelcoming atmosphere. According to the ruling’s summary of Diageo’s response, “The tilt acted as a physical division within the ad and where the pretentious items in the first scene were filtered out and the bar now had a warm…
