Food environment · UK rules
How the Food Industry Influences What You Eat
What you buy is shaped long before you reach the shelf. Knowing how helps you choose.
How influence works
- Advertising: TV, online, social media and sponsorship keep brands familiar and create “treat” moments. The WHO notes that most food marketing children see promotes foods high in saturated fat, trans fat, free sugars or salt (WHO).
- Price promotions: “buy one get one free” and multibuys encourage buying more than planned. The UK government’s impact assessment describes volume offers as a significant driver of excess purchasing of these foods (GOV.UK).
- Placement: store entrances, aisle ends and checkouts are prime spots for impulse buys.
- Formulation and portion size: how much sugar, salt and fat a product contains, and how big a pack is, are industry decisions. Taxes and targets can change them: the government says the average sugar content of drinks covered by the Soft Drinks Industry Levy has fallen almost 50% since it began (GOV.UK).
What UK rules now restrict
| Measure | What it does | Where · since |
|---|---|---|
| Advertising restrictions | No adverts for identifiable less healthy food or drink on TV and on-demand services between 5:30am and 9pm, and no paid-for online adverts at any time. Some brand advertising and smaller businesses are exempt. | UK · 5 January 2026 (GOV.UK) |
| Placement restrictions | Less healthy products can’t be promoted at store entrances, aisle ends or checkouts (or online equivalents) in larger shops run by businesses with 50 or more employees. | England · 1 October 2022 (GOV.UK) |
| Volume price promotions | No multibuy or “free” volume offers (such as buy one get one free) on these products by the same larger businesses; free refills of sugary drinks in larger restaurants and cafés are also restricted. | England · 1 October 2025 (GOV.UK) |
| Soft Drinks Industry Levy | A charge on packaged soft drinks with added sugar of 5g or more per 100ml. From 1 January 2028 the threshold falls to 4.5g and sugary milk-based and milk-alternative drinks are included. | UK · April 2018 (GOV.UK) |
| School food standards | A legal requirement for state-funded schools on what food can be served. | England (GOV.UK) |
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland set some food rules separately, and rules in other countries differ. These measures change what is promoted; they don’t ban any food.
How to shop on your own terms
- Shop with a list built around meals, and stick to it at the end of aisles and the checkout.
- Check the label, not the front of the pack. Compare per 100g and look at the traffic-light colours. See how to read nutrition labels.
- Ask “would I buy one?” before taking a multibuy.
- Look at who is behind information. Nutrition advice from a company selling the product deserves a second source. Our trusted resources list starts with official guidance.
- Talk to children about adverts and how they are designed to persuade.
Our approach
This page contains no sponsored content or affiliate links. If we ever add product recommendations anywhere on the site, they will be clearly labelled.
Common questions
Is junk food advertising banned in the UK?
Adverts for identifiable less healthy food and drink are restricted on TV and on-demand services before 9pm and banned in paid-for online advertising from 5 January 2026, with some exemptions.
Are buy one get one free deals banned?
In England, larger businesses can’t offer volume price promotions on less healthy food and drink from 1 October 2025. Healthier foods can still be promoted.
What is the sugar tax?
The Soft Drinks Industry Levy, in place since April 2018, charges producers of packaged soft drinks with added sugar above set thresholds. It is being extended to sugary milk-based drinks from January 2028.
Does advertising really change what children eat?
The WHO concluded that food marketing has a harmful impact on children’s food choices and dietary intake.
Keep learning
How to read nutrition labelsSources & further reading
- WHO: Policies to protect children from the harmful impact of food marketing: WHO guideline (2023) (opens in a new tab)
- GOV.UK (DHSC): Landmark junk food ad ban to protect kids’ health (5 January 2026) (opens in a new tab)
- GOV.UK (DHSC/DCMS): Less healthy food or drink: advertising and promotions restrictions (opens in a new tab)
- GOV.UK (DHSC): Restricting promotions of products high in fat, sugar or salt by location and by volume price (England) (opens in a new tab)
- GOV.UK (DHSC): Restricting volume price promotions of HFSS products: final impact assessment (1 October 2025) (opens in a new tab)
- GOV.UK (HMRC): Soft Drinks Industry Levy changes (published 13 July 2026) (opens in a new tab)
- GOV.UK (DHSC/HM Treasury): Soft drinks levy extended to protect children and improve health (25 November 2025) (opens in a new tab)
- GOV.UK (DfE): School food standards (England) (opens in a new tab)