Regulation & safety

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ASA gives Hangcure a headache over implied disease claims

By Nikki Hancocks

The UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has warned UK supplement brand Hangcure Ltd that it must not claim that its product can prevent, treat or cure disease through product name or advertising.

Pic:getty/rattankunthongbun

Should sugar taxes be extended beyond beverages?

By Rachel Arthur

Most ‘sugar taxes’ are, in reality, ones that apply specifically to beverages. Is this fair – and would extending them to items such as chocolate, cakes and biscuits work?

Can brands make sustainability claims based on offsets? Pic:getty/richarddrury

Sustainability claims: How careful do brands need to be?

By Rachel Arthur

Budweiser has recently clarified its 'brewed with 100% renewable electricity' claim in the UK and Ireland after scrutiny from advertising watchdogs. How careful do brands need to be when making similar claims?

Pic: getty/liudmilachernetska

Do soda taxes reduce childhood obesity?

By Rachel Arthur

The potential of sugar-sweetened beverage taxes to tackle childhood obesity has been a key rationale for their introduction. How effective are they?

The UK is to lift its tariff on imported Califronia prune juice from next month. Image: Gettyy, ligora

News

UK lifts tariff on California prune juice

By Gwen Ridler

The UK is to lift the current import tariff on California prune juice as it continues to navigate trade deals with its partners in the Indo-Pacific bloc.

What are the positives and negatives of consuming caffeine?

What are the positives and negatives of consuming caffeine?

By Donna Eastlake

Many of us start our day with a piping hot cup of tea or coffee. In fact, it’s sometimes the very first thought we have before we’ve even opened our eyes. But what are the advantages and disadvantages of consuming caffeine and how much is too much?

How should alcohol-free drinks speak responsibly to consumer? Pic:getty/weare

How to market alcohol-free alternatives responsibly

By Rachel Arthur

Alcohol-free alternatives provide a welcome option to the increasing number of consumers who choose not to drink. But there are growing concerns that branding similarities to alcohol could mean that alcohol-free alternatives act as a gateway into alcohol...

The EU is Mercosur's (Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina) second-largest trading partner, second only to China. Image: Getty/Adam Gault

‘No time to lose’: EU urged to conclude Mercosur trade talks

By Teodora Lyubomirova

A total of 23 trade bodies have called for the swift approval of the EU-Mercosur free trade agreement, which will make it easier to export EU agri-food products including key dairy commodities to Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay and vice versa.

Age-gates do little to stop underage drinkers ordering online - so how else can underage sales be stopped? Pic: getty/farknot

How can e-commerce retailers prevent the underage sale of alcohol?

By Rachel Arthur

Sales of alcohol online are becoming increasingly important: but it’s extremely difficult for retailers and brands to know if they’re selling to underage drinkers. A new set of guidelines from the UK’s Retail of Alcohol Standards Group (RASG) sets out...

Pic:getty/nemkre

Ireland to ban TV alcohol ads before 9pm

By Rachel Arthur

Ireland will ban alcohol advertisements on TV before 9pm from 2025 in an effort to reduce children and young people’s exposure to alcohol products.