Philip Morris Limited (PML), the affiliate of Philip Morris International (PMI) in the UK and Ireland, is stepping-up its fight against the illicit trade with the appointment of Catherine Goger to the role of Illicit Trade Prevention Manager.
In this new role, Catherine is responsible for co-ordinating operations to tackle the sale of illicit products in the UK, continuing the company’s working relationships with local authorities and supporting PML’s Field Force and retail partners.
Since joining PMI in 2022, Catherine has led the Fraud Prevention Team at Philip Morris Japan. Prior to PML, Catherine’s career involved fighting money laundering and corruption across Latin America, Asia, and Europe. She also held senior positions at Ernst and Young, HSBC and Prudential. Her background in fighting illegal activity makes her well-equipped to understand how illicit operations impact legitimate retailers’ businesses and strategies to overcome them.
“I am passionate about fighting illicit trade, as I have seen first-hand the—often horrific—outcomes from these illegal activities,” said Goger. “Spending time out in the field joining test purchases with our undercover team, I was astounded by the brazenness of irresponsible retailers – with illicit tobacco products openly available. These retailers sell sub-standard products – some of which have been infested with vermin droppings and asbestos – often to under-aged consumers and vulnerable people. There needs to be more awareness of the illicit trade and the negative impact it has on both responsible retailers’ businesses and on public health.
“We stand by our retail partners, aiming to provide them with guidance and support in the fight against illicit trade. From tackling the trade at the local level – with educational campaigns and test-purchase operations – to building intelligence on a global scale with international organisations; we are taking meaningful steps to cracking down on illicit trade.”
Despite being a nation of food lovers, when it comes to food waste, fresh produce are the UK’s most binned items, states a recent report, recommending that more fresh produce needs to be sold/bought loose to help break the "UK’s £1,000 a year food waste habit".
In Food Waste Action Week, Love Food Hate Waste publishes its annual Household Food Management Survey giving a snapshot of the nation’s behaviours and attitudes towards food.
Each year in UK homes an estimated 510,000 tonnes of potatoes are binned, representing 46 per cent of all potatoes bought.
The largest and longest running survey of its kind, the latest Love Food Hate Waste Household Food Management Survey show that self-reported food waste has increased to 21 per cent for the four key food items monitored (bread, milk, potatoes and chicken), meaning a fifth of these end up in the bin.
The rise in self-reported food waste recorded coincided with the easing of several key pressures that had kept food waste in check over recent years, including food price inflation and concerns about the cost-of-living and food availability.
But Love Food Hate Waste says one reason why so much fresh produce ends up in our bins is because most is sold packaged, denying shoppers a chance to buy an amount closer to their needs.
In the UK, only 19 per cent of fresh produce is sold loose by large retailers.
Jackie Baily, Senior Campaign Manager Love Food Hate Waste, “We see fresh produce as the real kitchen victim when it comes to food waste. Because most fruit and veg is sold packaged, we have to buy what we’re given not what we need, and that means a lot goes to waste.
"As a result, our bins have a diet that most nutritionists would envy. And we’re a long way from breaking our food waste habit because of this packaging.”
Ahead of the roll out of separate food waste collections in England, Love Food Hate Waste is keen to help people reduce the amount of fresh fruit and vegetables ending up in the bin through better access to loose produce.
An estimated 60,000 tonnes of food waste could be prevented if all apples, potatoes and bananas were sold loose, representing 8.2 million shopping baskets’ worth of food.
Love Food Hate Waste is using Food Waste Action Week to show the growing public demand for more loose fruit and veg in the fresh produce aisles. And WRAP, the environmental action NGO behind Love Food Hate Waste, is also calling for a consultation for a potential ban on packaging for 21 products in the fresh produce aisles.
Food waste made flesh
Love Food Hate Waste found that our ability to judge how much is the right amount to buy has weakened slightly for the first time in several surveys and that except for bread, most people find judging the right amount of fresh produce trickier than any other product – particularly potatoes.
When it comes to buying loose, people enjoy not having a date label on loose fresh produce and we’re happy to use judgement alone on when fruit and vegetables are still good to eat far more than a Best Before date - most noticeably for onions (75 per cent).
Outside of the fresh produce category, people use date labels (Use-By) for items for which food safety is an issue, such as fresh chicken and pork. But for milk, we’re evenly split between using our judgement or a date label.
On a per capita basis, the latest survey suggests that 27 per cent of UK citizens classify as ‘higher’ food wasters. In addition, Love Food Hate Waste found a disparity between people’s perception of their own waste and the reality, with nearly 8 out of 10 interviewees believing they waste less than the average.
Food waste occurs across all sociodemographic groups in the UK, without exception. But Love Food Hate Waste warns that certain groups are more prone to falling into the high food waste category.
Higher levels of food waste were concentrated among younger people, those with children and those with a higher number of displaced meals (when plans change last minute, or something happens meaning we don’t eat the food we’d planned at home).
In addition, Love Food Hate Waste found a link between people who use alternative methods of food shopping and higher levels of reported food waste, albeit a far lesser number.
This includes those who use Click and collect (38 per cent higher food waste), fruit and veg box schemes (48 per cent), subscription delivery (47 per cent) and delivery companies (40 per cent).
Love food Hate Waste has put forward a range of recommendations to help mitigate against household food waste.
These include making it easier to purchase the right amount of food through better access to loose produce, introducing smaller pack sizes at comparable prices and curbing in-store promotions encouraging over-purchasing for perishable foods (e.g., impulse-driven multibuy offers).
And enhancing individual citizens’ skills in meal planning and portion estimation.
EPoS system ShopMate has rolled out a new partnership with DNA Payments, a leading provider of advanced payment solutions.
Through this strategic partnership, ShopMate enhances its support for retailers by integrating a seamless and efficient payment solution into its EPOS system, ShopMate Pay.
ShopMate Pay will be available to existing and new ShopMate customers who will benefit from a unified approach for all their payment and EPOS needs.
“At ShopMate, we understand the challenges convenience stores face,” said Brian Eagle-Brown, managing director at ShopMate.
“Our partnership with DNA Payments allows us to deliver a payment solution that’s highly efficient and adaptable to the unique needs of independent retailers. Together, we’re making it easier for these vital community businesses to flourish.”
Jan-Pieter Lips, chief executive of DNA Payments, added: “Convenience stores and small retailers are some of the fastest and most enthusiastic adopters of new payments technology – they know what works, and demand the best.”
“That’s why we’re proud to be partnering with ShopMate to deliver industry-leading solutions like ShopMate Pay to thousands of convenience stores across the country.”
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has upheld a complaint against Bestway Retail, banning a Christmas advertising campaign for Bargain Booze that featured Santa Claus.
The ruling, published today (March 19), determined that the ads, which ran on Facebook and Instagram in December 2024, had a particular appeal to children, violating advertising codes for alcohol products.
The ads depicted Santa Claus arriving at a Bargain Booze store, using a tablet to determine whether customers were “naughty” or “nice,” and magically gift-wrapping alcohol. Festive music and nostalgic Christmas imagery were prominent in the campaign.
The ASA’s ruling centred on the way Santa Claus was portrayed in the ads. While acknowledging Santa’s broad appeal across age groups, the regulator concluded that the ads’ presentation was excessively child-focused.
“The ads contained many nostalgic Christmas elements, including Father Christmas in his full traditional costume and playful festive music,” the ASA stated. “We considered that the overall impression of the ads was reminiscent of classic Christmas family films, which would be familiar, and therefore appealing, to children of all ages.”
The ASA further cited elements such as the exaggerated expressions of surprise, magical elements like Santa’s “naughty or nice” app and magical gift wrapping, and juvenile humour like festive wordplay in customer names as contributing to the ads’ appeal to children. The humour of Santa arriving in a car with the personalised plates "GIFT5 1981" and paying with contactless technology was also considered to be aimed at a younger audience.
Bargain Booze defended the ads, arguing that Santa is a cultural icon with broad appeal, not specifically targeted at children. They also emphasised that the ads did not depict anyone drinking and that they targeted the ads to an audience aged 18 and over.
However, the ASA found that the age targeting on Facebook and Instagram was insufficient, as these platforms do not require robust age verification upon sign-up.
“Because the ads were seen in an environment where users self-verified on customer sign-up and did not use robust age-verification, and interest based targeting had not been used, we considered that under-18s had not been entirely excluded from the audience,” the ASA stated.
The ASA concluded that the ads breached CAP Code rule 18.14, which prohibits alcohol advertising that particularly appeals to under-18s.
Bestway Retail has been told to ensure that future alcohol advertising does not have particular appeal to children. The ads are banned from appearing again in their original form.
Keep ReadingShow less
UK government regulations on unhealthy food and climate change.
The UK government should extend its sugar tax beyond soft drinks to cover all types of foods, according to a major new report published this week.
The Transforming UK Food Systems Programme (TUKFS) study, entitled ‘Regulatory Tools for a Healthy and Sustainable Diet, highlights how the existing soft drinks levy has reduced sugar content in beverages by 44 per cent, and suggests a similar approach expanded across all food types could help tackle the UK’s obesity crisis.
Introducing a new salt levy, similar to the sugar tax, is another proposal put forward in a comprehensive set of recommended regulations, which are suggested not only to transform public health in the UK but also to deliver nationwide environmental benefits.
Professor Chris Hilson, lead author of the report at the University of Reading, said, “Extending the sugar tax to all processed foods is vital.
"The current levy has successfully cut sugar in soft drinks, but we need to see the same success with products like milkshakes, biscuits, yogurts and breakfast cereals to improve public health.
"Mandatory measures on the food sector, such as a salt tax, should be considered by MPs.
“Stronger regulations on the wider food sector could mean a healthier environment, as well as a healthier population.
"Setting targets for reducing red and processed meat consumption is one way the government can reduce the UK’s climate impact, while also cutting the risk of cancer.”
The report calls for more stringent regulations for the food sector and a move away from the current approach, which relies more on voluntary measures.
The authors argue that such measures, such as information labels on food packaging, have failed to address serious environmental damage and poor health outcomes at a population-wide scale.
The authors argue that stronger policies would also support economic goals rather than hinder them, as a healthy environment and workforce are essential for long-term growth.
Other recommendations include setting sectoral greenhouse gas targets for agriculture, adding dairy and beef farms to environmental permitting schemes and requiring large food businesses to report on their sales of unhealthy products.
Professor Christine Riefa, University of Reading, commented, “The report offers a comprehensive menu of regulatory tools to transform the UK’s food landscape.
“Voluntary approaches have not worked, and we are now in a crisis state. Companies and farmers who want to do better are undermined by those who profit from ignoring health and environmental concerns.”
Professor Chris Hilson added, “Stronger regulation would support economic growth and national security. We can’t produce food without healthy soils, thriving pollinators and a stable climate, and no economy benefits from a population made sick by poor diets.”
The report comes as the government prepares its food strategy and 25-year farming roadmap, which is expected to be revealed later this year.
Shoppers, especially those on a lower income, are expected to continue spending with caution for the foreseeable future, predicts a leading industry analyst, stressing that retailers must build emotional connections with shoppers.
IGD has released a new report that examines the economic and demographic trends expected to shape the next five years for shoppers, retailers, and the food and grocery industry.
According to the report titled "Shoppers in 2030", single households are projected to contribute 95 per cent of the overall growth in the number of households, the growing population will create a higher demand for housing.
With disposable income levels unlikely to grow significantly, shopper confidence will remain subdued, impacting volume spending.
The food and grocery industry is expected to be somewhat protected compared to other industries, but IGD states that retailers must build emotional connections with shoppers.
The report highlights the need for retailers and manufacturers to produce the right products for the right shopper.
The report adds that as shoppers remain less confident in the years to come, their ability to focus on their health will likely be impacted. However, with an increasing prevalence of obesity, it will be up to the food and grocery industry to continue providing accessible healthy foods for shoppers.
Similarly for sustainability measures, while shoppers may not prioritise the impact on the environment in each of their product purchases, the food and grocery industry will need to lead the way to make meaningful change for the food system, states the report.
“The outlook is far from positive news for retailers and manufacturers,” said Bryony Perkins, Senior Insights Analyst at IGD.
“We expect shoppers to continue spending with caution for the foreseeable future, especially those on a lower income. This means volume challenges are set to continue. '
"The silver lining for food and grocery is that shoppers will still look to treat themselves in small ways. Retailers and manufacturers should look for ways to help shoppers elevate the everyday with small, affordable treats.”