Customer awareness and perceptions of the high in fat, sugar, and salt (HFSS) placement legislation and impacts on self-reported food purchasing

Introduction Legislation in England restricts the placement of high in fat, sugar or salt (HFSS) products in stores and online. This is the first study to investigate shoppers’ perceptions, and self-reported purchasing behaviours following its implementation. Methods A sample of 1968 adults, living in England, who were the primary shopper for the household completed online surveys, with oversampling of lower incomes (households earning less than £39,999 annually). Results Most purchased products from HFSS-dominated categories at least once/week (92.5 %). Shoppers with children or those living with food insecurity reported purchasing HFSS-dominated products more frequently and reported greater susceptibility to product placement and price-promotion strategies targeted by the current and planned HFSS legislation. The majority of shoppers surveyed were not aware of the HFSS legislation (58.7%), and most did not notice any changes to the shopping environment, either online (79.8%) or in-store (56.1%). Most felt the legislation was a good first step (71.4). However, 90% felt affordability of healthier food was as or more important than legislation of less healthy foods. Conclusion While shoppers supported the legislation’s potential to encourage healthier food choices, they emphasised the importance of affordability. Households with children or those living with food insecurity are particularly susceptible to retail promotional strategies. To support these shoppers, future legislation should also consider promoting healthier foods to reduce dietary inequalities.