Customer awareness and perceptions of the High in Fat, Sugar, and Salt (HFSS) placement legislation and impacts on self-reported food purchasing.

Introduction: Legislation in England restricts the placement of high in fat, sugar or salt (HFSS) products in stores and online. This is the first study to investigate shoppers’ perceptions, and self-reported purchasing behaviours following its implementation.Methods: Shoppers completed online surveys (n=1968), with oversampling of lower incomes. Results: Most purchased products from HFSS-dominated categories at least once/week (92.5%). Shoppers with children or food insecurity purchased HFSS-dominated products more frequently and reported greater susceptibility to promotional strategies. Most felt the legislation was a good first step (71.4). However, 90% felt affordability of healthier food was as or more important than legislation of unhealthy foods. Conclusion: While shoppers supported the legislation’s potential to encourage healthier food choices, they emphasised the importance of affordability. Households with children or food insecurity are particularly susceptible to retail promotional strategies. To support these shoppers, future legislation should also consider promoting healthier foods to reduce dietary inequalities.