Speciality-Food-Magazine-September-2024

18 @specialityfood include a clampdown on shoplifting (reversing the previous £200 theft threshold), the creation of a new offence for assaulting shop workers, and the introduction of ‘Respect Orders’ to address antisocial behaviour. Bira said these will provide much- needed support to independent retailers across the UK, as it is hoped the lawwill make it easier andmore straightforward for authorities to investigate and prosecute offenders. According to the latest crime data fromCo-op, there were more than 172,000 incidents of retail crime in the first half of 2024, making a 4% increase last year’s levels and a 42% increase since 2022. 2 RE-COMMITMENT TO HFSS Legislation on HFSS food, which is high in fat, sugar and salt, was introduced and began rolling out under the Conservative government, but as part of the King’s Speech, 1 A CRIME AND POLICING BILL TO ADDRESS RETAIL CRIME The government will make assaulting retail workers a crime through its new Crime and Policing Bill. The independent retailers’ association Bira welcomed the government’s commitment to tackling shoplifting and antisocial behaviour. “We are pleased to see the government taking decisive action on issues that have become a blight on our high streets,” said Andrew Goodacre, CEO of Bira. “For too long, our members have faced increased incidents of theft, greater volumes of stolen products, and rising abuse towards business owners and staff.” Recent figures showed the seriousness of the rise in shoplifting, as they hit a record high of 1,200 offences a day. According to the British Retail Consortium (BRC), retail crime is costing retailers and their customers £3.3 billion a year. The government’s measures Labour committed to restricting the advertising of junk food to children, as well as introducing plans to restrict the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to children. Under the previous government, a ban on advertising HFSS foods online and on TV before 9pmwas set to come into force in January 2025. It followed rules on in-store promotions and placement restrictions. The NHS Confederation said in its analysis of the King’s Speech that emerging evidence supports advertising restrictions as a policy tool to reduce the purchase of HFSS foods. “This legislation will improve the future resilience of the population by protecting children from unhealthy advertising and reduce obesity levels in the future,” it said. Kate Howard, children’s food campaign coordinator for Sustain, welcomed the commitments and said the group hopes to see them implemented “promptly”. 3 AN EMPLOYMENT RIGHTS BILL CAUSES ‘WORRY’ FOR SMALL BUSINESSES The government also introduced its Employment Rights Bill in the King’s Speech, which will enhance employment rights and end “exploitative” practices such as zero- hour contracts and ‘fire and rehire’. It will also establish the Fair Work Agency, a single enforcement body for workplace rights. “There are three million retail workers in the UK, and a further 2.7 million in the supply chain, and we look forward to engaging with the government as it carries out its consultation on the Bill to ensure the plans are practical and workable for businesses and employees,” said Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the BRC. As part of its plan to ‘Make Work Pay,’ Labour’s manifesto also included plans to “remove the discriminatory age bands to ensure every adult worker benefits” from increases to the minimumwage. While it stands at £11.44 for those 21 and older, 18 to 20-year-olds are entitled to £8.60. “More than nine out of 10 small employers say they are concerned about the prospect of increased costs and risks when they employ people, and there were no commitments within this to look after small employers who will struggle the most,” said the Federation of Small Businesses’ (FSB) policy chair Tina McKenzie. 4 ways Labour's policies will impact food and drink The King’s Speech on 17th July unveiled the new Labour government’s priorities following its election win. Marking the opening of parliament, the speech by King Charles III introduced several measures that will affect fine food and drink retailers and other players in the supply chain.Discover the government’s priority policies and how key industry players responded to their announcement below . 4 POSITIVE POLICIES FOR FARMERS NFU president TomBradshaw welcomed the government’s repeated support for food security as national security, but he said that now the industry needs to see a plan for food production that backs this up. Several bills included in the King’s Speech were “significant for British farmbusinesses and the nation’s food security,” he said, “not least those relating to planning reform and infrastructure, crime and policing, mental health, skills and new technologies and renewable energy opportunities through the creation of GB Energy. “Our farmers and growers are ambitious for the future, and with new policies that revitalise farm business confidence, government can help to kickstart economic growth, deliver affordable, climate friendly, high-welfare food production, improve the environment, and stimulate clean energy supply,” he said. On 22nd July, an open letter coordinated by the Soil Association has called on the new prime minister to back and scale up the UK’s horticulture sector. “Almost half of our veg andmore than 80% of our fruit is imported. This cannot go on,” they wrote. “We urgently need more – not less – home-grown fruit and veg, or we face further disaster for supermarket shelves, our health, and the environment.”