In this week’s news we lament England’s loss in the Euros but celebrate a win for pubs, contemplate our diet as proposals for a salt and sugar tax are proposed for England and consider the ramifications of record numbers of people being pinged by the NHS Test & Trace app.
World’s first salt and sugar tax could be introduced
England could be the first in the world to introduce a Salt and Sugar Reformulation tax as part of a new National Food Strategy. The proposal is in response to the report’s findings that poor diets are contributing to around 64,000 deaths each year in England and that doctors should be able to prescribe fruit and vegetables. Food entrepreneur and report author Henry Dimbleby warned the way food is being consumed currently is “putting intolerable strain on the NHS”, which before the pandemic was costing the Government £130 billion a year. It’s certainly food for thought!
One in five hospitality and retail workers self-isolating
One in five workers in the hospitality and retail sectors are self-isolating as a result of COVID-19 rules, industry leaders have told the Commons business select committee. Concerns are mounting for operators as more than half a million people in England were pinged by the NHS Test and Trace app in a week, the highest figure recorded. Kate Nicholls, chief executive of UK Hospitality, said the problem was increasing – with worries that in some cases a third of staff could be affected.
Euros fans boost footfall at pubs
The Euros may not have had the desired result for England fans but it was still a winner for pubs. The game saw an uplift in beer sales of just over 75%, compared to an average Tuesday this year. Analysis of real time data gathered during the match by the Oxford Partnership Market Watch and Vianet unsurprisingly revealed the strongest performance was in England, with pubs showing the match increased sales by 99.5 pints in England against those that didn’t.
Pavement café culture to drive ‘levelling up’ strategy for UK high streets
The pandemic has seen the emergence of a more European pavement style café culture – and the government is planning to make this a more permanent feature of our high streets. Alfresco dining will become the norm in towns and cities across the country and pubs will be able to continue to serve takeaway alcohol for at least another the year, under new plans to level up the country and breathe new life into the nation’s high streets. We’ll drink to that!