New Year, New Rules: What advertisers need to know about the ‘less healthy’ food ad ban
New Year, New Rules: What advertisers need to know about the ‘less healthy’ food ad ban
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As an out-of-home advertising operator, I spend a lot of time helping brands get their campaigns in front of the right people and, more importantly, at the right moment.
But from 5 January 2026, the landscape for food and drink advertisers is changing significantly. The UK Government’s new restrictions on promoting ‘less healthy’ food and drink (LHF) products online will kick in, with advertisers encouraged to comply voluntarily from 1 October 2025.
While digital out-of-home (DOOH) remains exempt, meaning our roadside, retail and transport screens can still feature HFSS/LHF product ads, many of the channels you may use alongside OOH will now face tight new limits. Here’s what you need to know so your future campaigns remain compliant and effective.
What counts as ‘less healthy’?
LHF products are defined in law using two criteria:
- HFSS scoring – The product must meet the Government’s nutrient profiling threshold for high fat, salt or sugar.
- Category-based classification – It must sit within one of the official LHF categories set out in 2024 regulations.
So, for example, a croissant only becomes an LHF product if it both scores as HFSS and falls within the “morning goods” category.
What’s actually being banned?
From January, advertisers cannot pay to place ads for specific LHF products anywhere online if the ads are targeted at a UK audience—24/7, with no time-based exceptions.
This includes:
- Paid social
- Display and video ads
- Paid search
- Sponsored retail listings
- Paid newsletters
- Paid influencer/creator content
- Advergames and sponsorships
The only clear online exceptions are audio-only ads (such as radio streams and podcasts) and, importantly for my world, digital out-of-home.
Owned media, your own website or organic social posts, is allowed. You just can’t pay to boost or promote that content.
Are any ads exempt?
Yes. The biggest exemptions include:
- Ads paid for by SMEs (under 250 employees)
- B2B ads
- Audio-only ads
- Ads not aimed at the UK
- Brand-only ads that don’t depict specific LHF products
This last one, the brand exemption, is key. You can promote your brand or a range of products, provided you do not show, name, reference, or give “clues” to a specific LHF product. That means no packshots, no product names, and no realistic imagery that could identify an LHF item.
Who’s responsible?
The responsibility sits entirely with the advertiser, the party paying for the placement. Platforms, agencies and media owners (including OOH operators like us) are not legally liable.
If an ad breaches the rules, the ASA can demand its removal, and persistent offenders may be referred to Ofcom, which can impose fines.
What does this mean for OOH advertisers?
Here’s the good news: OOH remains one of the few places you can continue to advertise LHF products without restriction. This makes OOH, and especially DOOH, an increasingly valuable channel for food and drink brands looking to maintain visibility while other digital routes close off.
However, for integrated campaigns, it’s crucial you understand where the new boundaries lie. A perfectly compliant DOOH ad could still trigger issues if mirrored online in a paid format.
Final thoughts
These rules represent a major shift in how the food and drink sector can advertise. But they also underline the growing value of channels that remain unrestricted, like OOH.
If you want help navigating the new regulations, adapting creative, or planning future campaigns that make the most of compliant environments, my team and I are here to support you.
Just because the online world is tightening doesn’t mean your brand has to go quiet.
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