Information about the Aspen Ideas Festival is here. I am scheduled for a session, The American Wellness Paradox, currently scheduled from 11:00-11:50 a.m., at the East Lawn Tent. This will be a discussion with senior HHS policy advisor, Calley Means. Here’s the blurb on it: “Americans are spending more than ever on healthcare, supplements, wellness trends, and “clean eating,” yet rates of chronic disease and metabolic illness continue to climb. As skepticism fuels the rise of movements like MAHA, debates over what Americans should eat have become deeply cultural, political, and economic. Two influential voices with sharply different perspectives on nutrition and food science explore how food systems, farming practices, consumer culture, and the wellness industry collided to create one of the defining public health debates of our time.”
Scotland’s new stocking rules
While we are on the subject of stocking standards for grocery stores, take a look at what’s happening in Scotland.
Less sugar, more pressure: Scotland’s HFSS rules force a food industry rethink: With Scotland’s HFSS restrictions arriving in October, food manufacturers are under mounting pressure to reformulate products without sacrificing taste, texture or brand identity… Read more
Scotland, it seems, has new regulations coming into effect in October. These restrict promotions and prime shelf placements for foods high in fat, sugar, and salt (HFSS).
The rules say
- No HFSS products allowed at prime sale points such as checkouts, aisle ends, store entrances, and waiting areas.
- No multibuy promotions allowed.
- No free refills of soft drinks.
When England did this in 2022, the number of HFSS products sold dropped, perhaps by as much as 2 million per day—putting huge pressure on food companies to reformulate.
The big issue: What will people buy instead?
The philosophical question: Is a reformulated ultra-processed food necessarily a good choice? It will still be ultra-processed.
Bring on the evaluators! I can’t wait to see the research results.
