Less healthy food or drink: advertising and promotions restrictions
Information about regulations restricting the advertising and promotion of less healthy food or drink, also known as foods high in fat, salt or sugar.
Advertising restrictions for less healthy food or drink on television and online
The Communications Act 2003 (as amended by the Health and Care Act 2022) made provision for restrictions on advertising of less healthy food or drink products on TV and online. This includes:
- a 9pm watershed for less healthy food or drink advertising on TV, including all on-demand programme services (ODPS) and internet protocol television (IPTV) services under the jurisdiction of the UK, and therefore regulated by Ofcom
- a total restriction on paid-for advertising of less healthy food or drink online, including non-Ofcom regulated ODPS and IPTV
The Advertising (Less Healthy Food Definitions and Exemptions) Regulations 2024 give practical effect to these provisions.
As per the Communications Act 2003 (Restrictions on the Advertising of Less Healthy Food) (Effective Date) (Amendment) Regulations 2025 laid in Parliament on 3 June 2025, the advertising regulations will come into force UK-wide on 5 January 2026.
We published an impact assessment and an equality assessment in 2021. These are available on the ‘Further advertising restrictions for products high in fat, salt and sugar’ consultation outcome page.
Restricting promotions of less healthy food or drink by location and by volume price
The Food (Promotion and Placement) (England) Regulations 2021 restrict the promotion of less healthy food or drink products by volume price and location, both online and in store in England.
The restriction of products by location came into force on 1 October 2022.
We published separate impact assessments for the locations and volume price promotions restrictions in 2020. These are available on the ‘Restricting promotions of food and drink that is high in fat, sugar and salt’ consultation outcome page.
Updates to this page
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Updated to reflect that the advertising restrictions will now come into force on 5 January 2026 (was 1 October 2025).
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First published.