Jan 8th, 2026
3 mins
From 5th January 2026, ads for less healthy food and drink products, (HFSS – high fat, salt, sugar) foods, will be banned from appearing:
- on television between 5:30am and 9:00pm
- in on-demand programme services between 5:30am and 9:00pm
- in paid online media at any time
This follows the publication on 4th December of the Committees of Advertising Practice (CAP) consultation on rules and guidance to implement new legal restrictions on advertising food and drink products.
Following formal approval by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and Ofcom, CAP’s regulatory statement confirmed how the new restrictions will be administered through the UK Advertising Codes.
The final rules reflecting each restriction are accompanied by Advertising Guidance on their implementation: Advertising of less healthy food and drink products.
Advertisers must ensure that their ads comply with the new rules. This applies to all new ads and existing ads appearing on or after 5 January 2026.
CAP have produced an infographic to guide businesses through some of the changes, as well as resources which provide a more in-depth look at the updated rules. These can be found here: ASA & CAP food rules – ASA | CAP
ASA and CAP are also encouraging advertisers to use the secondary advice resources and to seek further advice through their Copy Advice service. For broadcast clearance matters, advertisers should contact Clearcast.
The BFFF will be attending a meeting this week with the ASA, dedicated to talking about the HFSS advertising restrictions. We will update members on discussions following this meeting.
