Restaurants and cafes in Wales could be banned from offering free drink refills as part of new government proposals.
Health Secretary Eluned Morgan has launched a consultation to restrict promotions of food products high in fat, sugar and salt (HFSS) in a bid to “make the healthy choice the easiest choice for Welsh consumers”.
As well as a ban on free drink refills, the consultation proposes to restrict supermarkets from putting forward offers, such as buy one get one free and three for two, on unhealthy food both instore and online. It will also prohibit retailers from placing HFSS products in locations such as in store entrances, aisle ends and checkout/queueing areas and their online equivalents, for example, website entry pages, landing pages for other food categories.
The restrictions will apply to medium and large retailers (with 50 or more employees), including symbol group or franchise stores where there are 50 or more employees operating under that business name.
Failure to comply could see retailers and foodservice outlets issued with a £2,500 fine.
The consultation and call for evidence closes on 23rd September 2024.