Which? response to Food Standards Scotland’s ‘Scottish Diet’ and ‘Monitoring retail purchase and price promotions’ reports

Alex Neill, Which? Managing Director of Home Products and Services, said:

“These findings echo our own research on the unhealthy balance of price promotions which shows that people in Scotland want more action to tackle unhealthy food promotions and reduce fat, sugar and salt levels in food.

“It’s time for supermarkets to take greater responsibility by including more healthier choices in their promotions. It is also vital the Scottish Government continues its resolve to take action on this issue, as part of a wider strategy to make it easier to eat healthily.”

Notes to editors

Research Now, on behalf of Which?, interviewed 502 adults residing in Scotland, between 12th and 17th January 2018. Data were weighted to be representative of the Scottish population by age and gender. Our findings include:

  • More than half (57%) said supermarkets should include more healthier choices in promotions to make it easier for people to choose healthier food. This was the top action Scots wanted from supermarkets, followed by making healthier options cheaper (54%) and making foods with less fat, sugar and salt (41%).
  • The top two actions for food manufacturers to take are making healthier food cheaper (55%) and making food with less fat, sugar and salt (52%).
  • The top three actions that Government should take are; actively encouraging industry to lower fat, salt and sugar (47%); ensure food companies do not use child-appealing tactics to promote less healthy food (45%); and encourage food companies to offer more ‘healthier’ options (44%)
  • 85% of people think that food manufacturers have at least some responsibility in encouraging people to eat healthily. 8 in 10 (80%) say this of supermarkets and a similar percentage (79%) of Government.
  • Half (49%) of people, when thinking back to their last few visits to the supermarket, say that the promotions they noticed on the end of aisles didn’t include enough healthy options. A similar percentage (51%) said that the supermarket didn’t offer enough promotions on fruit and vegetables.

Statement