From January 5, 2026, restrictions on the advertising of Less Healthy Food (LHF) products are in legal effect. It follows a voluntary Industry Agreement period which ran from October 1, 2025.
In response, Chris Walker, Director of External and Public Affairs, Advertising Association said:
“Businesses have been preparing for these new rules for some time. In the run-up to Christmas, we saw strong compliance with a voluntary Industry Agreement developed in partnership with the Government. The public will have already experienced a preview of what this means through advertisers’ festive campaigns on their screens.
From now on, adverts for products classified as ‘less healthy foods’ cannot be shown on TV before the 9pm watershed or online at any time, which includes all types of paid-for advertising such as search, banner ads, and influencer marketing. Advertisers have been working closely with their agency partners to ensure creative work meets these requirements.
As the restrictions come into law, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and Clearcast will provide guidance to give advertisers greater clarity on what is and isn’t permitted.”
More information is available via the ASA’s guidance here.
