Committee publication · Correspondence · 15 October 2025
Correspondence from Minister Dalton re Food and drink advertising regulations
From: Health and Social Care Committee
Inquiry: Food and Weight Management
Summary
Minister Ashley Dalton informs the Health and Social Care Committee Chair that the Government has laid The Advertising (Less Healthy Food and Drink) (Brand Advertising Exemption) Regulations 2025 in Parliament. The regulations, effective 5 January 2026, restrict TV and online advertising of less healthy food and drink while permitting brand advertising that does not identify specific unhealthy products. The Government expects this to remove 7.2 billion calories annually from UK children's diets.
Key findings
- Government has laid regulations implementing a manifesto commitment to restrict less healthy food and drink advertising on TV and online, taking legal effect 5 January 2026
- Regulations include a brand advertising exemption allowing promotion of non-product attributes (corporate social responsibility, customer experience) without promoting specific less healthy products
- Government secured early voluntary compliance commitment from advertisers, broadcasters, online platforms and publishers to comply from 1 October 2025, ahead of the January 2026 legal deadline
- Policy aims to reduce children's exposure to less healthy product advertising while incentivising business reformulation and creating a healthier food environment
- Government estimates the restrictions will remove up to 7.2 billion calories from UK children's diets annually
Tone
SupportiveTopics
Key actors
Ashley Dalton MP, Health and Social Care Committee, Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), UK Government
Notable line
“… we are being tough on junk food advertising but not pigeon- holing brands as 'less healthy' and incentivising them to formulate and promote their healthier products.”
Key Quotes
“You will recall that this Government set a bold ambition to raise the healthiest generation of children ever and take action to address the childhood obesity crisis.”
“These are designed to reduce children's exposure to advertising of less healthy products, as well as incentivising businesses to reformulate their products and help create a healthier food environment.”
“We have been clear that we expect brands to be able to promote their non-product attributes, such as corporate social responsibility commitments or customer experience, that does not promote less healthy products.”
“We will now work closely with the ASA as it consults on revised implementation guidance to prepare industry for January”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗