The Welsh Senedd has narrowly voted to push forward with legislation that will impact where meal deals can be displayed in shops, while also banning multi-buy offers on high fat, sugar and salt (HFSS) foods.
Companies with 50 or more employees will be limited in their ability to run “promotions that can encourage over-consumption, such as multi-buy offers and free refills of sugary drinks”, effectively outlawing buy-one-get-one-free and similar offers on chocolate, sweets, fizzy soft drinks and the like. Free refills for high-sugar drinks, as given at some fast-food outlets and restaurants, will also be banned.
Meal deals and “dine in for two” offers are not classified as multibuy promotions by the new law, so while meal deals themselves aren’t going anywhere, those featuring crisps, sweets and sugary drinks can’t be displayed at certain in-store locations under the new rules.
Shops will be prevented from selling HFSS foods close to entrances, as well as at gondola aisle ends, checkouts and free-standing units close to tills – though stores under 185.8 square metres, and those dedicated to HFSS foods such as sweet shops, are exempt from this rule, though all stores will be banned from HFSS multibuys.
The law, which was passed in the Senedd by a narrow majority of 25 to 24 votes, comes into force from March 2026 and follows The Food (Promotion and Placement) (England) Regulations 2021.
Both pieices of legislation comprise a complex set of rules, with foods falling into the HFSS category being numerous. They include obvious targets such as “soft drinks containing added sugar ingredients” and chocolates and sweets, while also taking in rice cakes, muesli, pork scratchings (or “pork rind-based snacks” as referred to in the bill), “bagged savoury crackers”, “pitta bread based snacks”, ice cream, cakes, crumpets, poppadums and prawn crackers.
Welsh Health Secretary Jeremy Miles said the regulations “are a key part of our strategy to tackle Wales’ growing obesity problem”.
The Welsh Conservatives called the legislation “nanny state nonsense”.
