Time for a moratorium? PAPA director, Jim Winship, asks if it’s time for a moratorium on upcoming legislation.

Time for a moratorium?

A RANGE OF CHALLENGES

At the best of times, it must be di cult being a politician trying to run a country while keeping voters happy and meeting manifesto commitments, particularly at times like these where there seems to be a new crisis at every turn.

Governments can become blinded by the complexities of keeping this balance to the extent that they can seem remote and to be struggling to see the wood from the trees. Yet at times like these it is not always possible to stick to the policy commitments made at a time when things were very di erent.

Never before have businesses faced such a range of challenges than they do at present, so much so that many are struggling. From Covid and supply chain problems to sta and energy shortages… The list goes on with no clear end in sight.

BAD TIMING

On top of this, new legislation is piling additional pressure and costs onto hospitality and food businesses, from allergen and calorie labelling laws to restrictions on the advertising and promotion of foods high in salt fat and sugar (HFSS) and the introduction of new packaging taxes. While there may be arguments to justify many of these, the timing could not be worse, which is why it is time for a moratorium.

While delaying some of this legislation may not be popular with some politicians, the priority has to be to keep businesses alive and functioning as they are the lifeblood of our economy, providing employment and income through taxes that allow the country and government to function.

Furthermore, a moratorium on new legislation would not cost the Treasury anything – it would just put back a few things that we have all managed to live with to date.

Just as it will take time for businesses to get back on their feet, so it will take time for some of the major issues arising out of the Ukraine war to be resolved – not least the energy and world crop shortages that have yet to have their full impact.

A two-year moratorium would allow us all to regroup and get our businesses back on rm ground.

After a tough two years for the sector, and with upcoming legislation to be taken on board - calorie labelling, HFSS, and environmental taxes – is it time for a moratorium asks PAPA director, Jim Winship.

Member

webinars

During the Coronavirus pandemic, the Association has introduced a series of member webinars on a diverse range of subjects, and their popularity ensures that they will continue.

As well as presentations by leading market analysts, the online forums give members the opportunity to really engage with the experts about the problems facing high street businesses. Whether it is market trends, allergens, labelling or a myriad of other topics, the presenters can o er an insight into some of the problems and opportunities that businesses may encounter.

The next webinar will be on 21 April 2022 when Diane Wehrle from Springboard Research and Michele Young of Foodservice Support will give their views on ‘The changing high street and how it is likely to evolve going forward’.

Diane Wehrle, marketing and insights director of Springboard, is regarded as one of the leading experts on retail and retail destinations and Michele Young is the founder and director of Foodservice Support. She has worked with the British Sandwich Association for more than a decade. The high street has changed signi cantly in the last two years and Diane and Michele will bring their considerable experience to bear with a look into the future, from reduced footfall to emerging trends.

The last meeting was entitled ‘Tackling the environmental challenges of packaging’ when Trewin Restorick of Hubbub and Gareth Morton of Ecosurety were the presenters. They were both able to share their experiences of some of the innovative recycling schemes they have been involved with.

Trewin, from award winning charity Hubbub, and Gareth, who represents Ecosurety, a charity who have been at the forefront of plastic recycling in the foodservice sector were able to speak with authority about the recycling of single use cups, sandwich packs and other types of food packaging.

Previous webinars have been on subjects as diverse as Eating In versus Dining Out and the Safety of Eggs and Egg Products.

After the presentations, there is always time for a question and answer session so that members can tackle our experts and get information that will be helpful for their businesses.

To see information and recordings of previous webinars, visit https://www. papa.org.uk/index.php/news-featuresadvice/members-only/webinars