In January 2026, new legislative restrictions were introduced on advertising for ‘Less Healthy Food’ (LHF) by the UK government. This banned adverts for LHF products being shown pre-watershed on TV and broadcast and paid-for adverts from being shown online at any time.
In March 2026, the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) proposed changing the Nutrient Profiling Model (NPM) that determines which products are defined as LHF. As part of the Impact Assessment for that consultation they failed to model the impact the change would have on the advertising and ad-funded media sectors.
This report by Oxford Economics, commissioned by the Advertising Association, fills that analysis gap. It shows the significant financial implications on advertising investment that the move to a new NPM would have across the advertising and ad-funded media sectors. It also highlights the high levels of regulatory burden and associated costs that would come from as a result of any move.
