UK’s Bold New Ad Laws on Unhealthy Food: What You Need to Know

Over the years, UK food and drink brands have enticed us with creativity and flair. As fresh advertising rules roll in, the brands that will shine are those blending quality, purpose and presence (on-screen and off).  But to do this, we need to understand what these new rules are, below we’ve broken down they key elements that will impact brands most:

From 1^st October 2025, ads for “Less Healthy Foods” (HFSS: high in fat, sugar or salt) will only be allowed after the 9 pm watershed on TV and on-demand platforms. It’s a bold move designed to reduce children’s exposure to products that fuel poor eating habits. Liverpool University research suggests this shift could reduce childhood obesity by 4.6% and overweight cases by 3.6%, with even more impact in less affluent areas. Read the research.

From 5^th January 2026, UK audiences will no longer see paid HFSS ads online at any time of day. This follows a short voluntary period beginning 1^st  October 2025. Unlike TV, there’s no evening loophole here, if it’s an ad for an unhealthy product and it’s targeting UK users, it’s off-limits. Read the briefing.

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Influencer content hasn’t been left out. From October 2025, paid collaborations featuring HFSS products fall squarely within the online advertising ban. This means brands can no longer pay creators to promote clearly identifiable unhealthy food or drink, even if that content is age-gated or labelled #ad. However, organic and unpaid content, gifted collaborations, and brand-only posts that don’t feature products may still be permissible. Learn more from Trapeze Media.

There’s solid proof that these sorts of restrictions work. When Transport for London banned HFSS ads across the Tube and bus network in 2019, household purchases of unhealthy foods dropped by 7%. The policy has been linked to nearly 95,000 fewer obesity cases and over £200 million in NHS savings. These aren’t minor gains, they’re meaningful, measurable shifts. Explore the data.

The government estimates the new ad bans will remove 7.2 billion calories from children’s diets every year. That kind of impact is expected to prevent around 20,000 cases of childhood obesity and save the NHS £2 billion in the long term. Read the analysis.

Not everyone’s sold. Tunnock’s likened the policy to banning holidays to prevent sunburn, playful, perhaps, but it sidesteps the serious health implications at stake. While some industry voices call for education instead of restrictions, public opinion tells a different story. According to YouGov, 74% support the TV watershed ban and 69% agree with removing HFSS ads online.

Brands and agencies will need to think differently. Now is the time to audit your product lines and understand which items fall under the HFSS definition. Clear, creative brand storytelling will need to take the place of traditional product pushing.

There’s room here for flair. Content that focuses on founder stories, craft, or community (without showing the product) can still cut through. And the 9 pm TV slot offers space for those who want to keep product ads going.

Online, the focus needs to shift. Paid partnerships with influencers will no longer be an option for HFSS products. Instead, brands can explore gifted opportunities or lean into creator content that’s unpaid and unprompted. It’s also a chance to redirect budget towards PR and earned media that builds long-term brand value.

This isn’t about restriction, it’s about reinvention. The brands that will lead under these new rules are the ones who mix creativity with clarity, purpose with play. Whether it’s post-watershed or prime time, this is the moment to serve up more than flavour. It’s about presence, intent, and imagination.

Need help rewriting your strategy? Let’s talk.