Food Legislation: What You Need to Know

A piece of brown paper which has had the middle bit torn open showing a blue base

What's New

Food legislation doesn’t stand still — and neither should you. There are some major shifts on the horizon that will shape how food businesses communicate, promote, and sell products in the UK.

From October 2025, the ban on paid online advertising and TV watershed of HFSS (high fat, salt or sugar) products comes into force. However this regulation has been delayed yet again until 5 January 2026. Although the effective date of these Regulations has been delayed, media stakeholders, including key sports broadcasters such as ITV, Paramount and Sky, have agreed to act as if the Regulations are coming into force on 1 October 2025. In return, the government has agreed to provide a three-month grace period for stakeholders whose advertising strategy had already been decided, and a further period for the government and advertising authorities to clarify the interpretation and enforcement of the Regulations.

We’re also expecting a delay on the ban on HFSS promotions — think multibuys and price-based offers — to roll out more widely. These changes shift the balance away from selling on price or placement and put more pressure on branding, messaging, and claims to do the heavy lifting.