“If government is saying the regulations are important, they should be putting in funding to back it up.”- An in-depth analysis of local authority officers’ perspectives of the Food (Promotion and Placement) (England) Regulations 2021
Abstract Background As part of the UK government’s obesity strategy, the Food (Promotion and Placement) (England) Regulations 2021 were implemented in October 2022 to restrict the prominent placement of products high in fat, sugar, or salt (HFSS) in most retail settings. Local authority (LA) officer...
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2024-11-01
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-024-03720-5 |
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| author | Preeti Dhuria Sarah Muir Sarah Jenner Emma Roe Wendy Lawrence Janis Baird Christina Vogel |
| author_facet | Preeti Dhuria Sarah Muir Sarah Jenner Emma Roe Wendy Lawrence Janis Baird Christina Vogel |
| author_sort | Preeti Dhuria |
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| description | Abstract Background As part of the UK government’s obesity strategy, the Food (Promotion and Placement) (England) Regulations 2021 were implemented in October 2022 to restrict the prominent placement of products high in fat, sugar, or salt (HFSS) in most retail settings. Local authority (LA) officers have been tasked with enforcement of these regulations. This qualitative study examined the perspectives of LA officers including, trading standards, environmental health, and public health officers to understand enforcement approaches and requirements to optimise business compliance with the regulations. Methods Semi-structured interviews were conducted via MS Teams with a purposive sample of LA officers across England. Data were analysed using inductive thematic analysis. Results The 22 participants comprised 13 officers from Trading Standards, six from Environmental Health, and three from Public Health teams. The key messages include the following: (i) the regulations are complex and do not align with existing enforcement approaches, (ii) officers’ professional background will result in variable enforcement practices, and (iii) compliance assessment is an arduous task. LAs are facing resource and workforce constraints and have to prioritise regulations addressing high health risks (e.g., allergens). Therefore, officers will mostly apply a light touch approach to enforcement, raising awareness and engaging with businesses rather than issuing notices. To develop a consistent enforcement approach across LAs, officers asked for (i) further leadership from central government in the form of funding, training, and tools to determine in-scope businesses and products, (ii) cross-departmental collaboration to raise the regulations’ priority at local and regional levels, and (iii) greater consumer demand for healthier retail environments. Conclusion It is crucial to address both structural challenges such as resource allocation, workforce, and prioritisation issues as well as the inherent complexity of the regulations to strengthen enforcement efforts. Our findings highlight the necessity of supporting enforcement activities at national and regional government levels to avoid potential false conclusions about ineffectiveness of regulations. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-72ebdba764df4950a23d5eded98002bf |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1741-7015 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-11-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
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| series | BMC Medicine |
| spelling | doaj-art-72ebdba764df4950a23d5eded98002bf2024-11-10T12:28:57ZengBMCBMC Medicine1741-70152024-11-0122111410.1186/s12916-024-03720-5“If government is saying the regulations are important, they should be putting in funding to back it up.”- An in-depth analysis of local authority officers’ perspectives of the Food (Promotion and Placement) (England) Regulations 2021Preeti Dhuria0Sarah Muir1Sarah Jenner2Emma Roe3Wendy Lawrence4Janis Baird5Christina Vogel6Medical Research Council Lifecourse Epidemiology Centre, University of Southampton, Southampton General HospitalMedical Research Council Lifecourse Epidemiology Centre, University of Southampton, Southampton General HospitalMedical Research Council Lifecourse Epidemiology Centre, University of Southampton, Southampton General HospitalSchool of Geography and Environmental Science, University of SouthamptonPrimary Care, Population Science and Medical Education, Faulty of Medicine, University of SouthamptonMedical Research Council Lifecourse Epidemiology Centre, University of Southampton, Southampton General HospitalMedical Research Council Lifecourse Epidemiology Centre, University of Southampton, Southampton General HospitalAbstract Background As part of the UK government’s obesity strategy, the Food (Promotion and Placement) (England) Regulations 2021 were implemented in October 2022 to restrict the prominent placement of products high in fat, sugar, or salt (HFSS) in most retail settings. Local authority (LA) officers have been tasked with enforcement of these regulations. This qualitative study examined the perspectives of LA officers including, trading standards, environmental health, and public health officers to understand enforcement approaches and requirements to optimise business compliance with the regulations. Methods Semi-structured interviews were conducted via MS Teams with a purposive sample of LA officers across England. Data were analysed using inductive thematic analysis. Results The 22 participants comprised 13 officers from Trading Standards, six from Environmental Health, and three from Public Health teams. The key messages include the following: (i) the regulations are complex and do not align with existing enforcement approaches, (ii) officers’ professional background will result in variable enforcement practices, and (iii) compliance assessment is an arduous task. LAs are facing resource and workforce constraints and have to prioritise regulations addressing high health risks (e.g., allergens). Therefore, officers will mostly apply a light touch approach to enforcement, raising awareness and engaging with businesses rather than issuing notices. To develop a consistent enforcement approach across LAs, officers asked for (i) further leadership from central government in the form of funding, training, and tools to determine in-scope businesses and products, (ii) cross-departmental collaboration to raise the regulations’ priority at local and regional levels, and (iii) greater consumer demand for healthier retail environments. Conclusion It is crucial to address both structural challenges such as resource allocation, workforce, and prioritisation issues as well as the inherent complexity of the regulations to strengthen enforcement efforts. Our findings highlight the necessity of supporting enforcement activities at national and regional government levels to avoid potential false conclusions about ineffectiveness of regulations.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-024-03720-5Food (Promotion and Placement) regulationsEnforcementQualitative analysisFood environmentFood policyLocal authority officers |
| spellingShingle | Preeti Dhuria Sarah Muir Sarah Jenner Emma Roe Wendy Lawrence Janis Baird Christina Vogel “If government is saying the regulations are important, they should be putting in funding to back it up.”- An in-depth analysis of local authority officers’ perspectives of the Food (Promotion and Placement) (England) Regulations 2021 BMC Medicine Food (Promotion and Placement) regulations Enforcement Qualitative analysis Food environment Food policy Local authority officers |
| title | “If government is saying the regulations are important, they should be putting in funding to back it up.”- An in-depth analysis of local authority officers’ perspectives of the Food (Promotion and Placement) (England) Regulations 2021 |
| title_full | “If government is saying the regulations are important, they should be putting in funding to back it up.”- An in-depth analysis of local authority officers’ perspectives of the Food (Promotion and Placement) (England) Regulations 2021 |
| title_fullStr | “If government is saying the regulations are important, they should be putting in funding to back it up.”- An in-depth analysis of local authority officers’ perspectives of the Food (Promotion and Placement) (England) Regulations 2021 |
| title_full_unstemmed | “If government is saying the regulations are important, they should be putting in funding to back it up.”- An in-depth analysis of local authority officers’ perspectives of the Food (Promotion and Placement) (England) Regulations 2021 |
| title_short | “If government is saying the regulations are important, they should be putting in funding to back it up.”- An in-depth analysis of local authority officers’ perspectives of the Food (Promotion and Placement) (England) Regulations 2021 |
| title_sort | if government is saying the regulations are important they should be putting in funding to back it up an in depth analysis of local authority officers perspectives of the food promotion and placement england regulations 2021 |
| topic | Food (Promotion and Placement) regulations Enforcement Qualitative analysis Food environment Food policy Local authority officers |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-024-03720-5 |
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