HFSS Foods – Are Your Products Affected by the October 2025 Restrictions?
The UK Government’s delayed HFSS Foods TV and Online Paid Advertising ban will come into effect on 1st October 2025, as well as the delayed ban on Volume Promotions.
These two additional bans mean that it’s no longer just brands supplying to large retailers such as supermarkets (who are already subject to the rules on store Placement), that are affected by the HFSS marketing restrictions.
Further below is a list of the product categories affected by the restrictions. As HFSS only relates to foods and drinks which are high in saturated fat, sugar, or salt – or a combination of these – not all product categories are affected.
In addition, ONLY foods / drinks in these categories which score highly on the Government Nutrient Profile model used for HFSS scores (i.e. scoring 4 or more for foods, and 1 or more for drinks) are classed as HFSS. If their score is less, they are unaffected and classed as non-HFSS.
How Do I Check My Products’ HFSS Scores?
You can use an HFSS score calculator, such as featured in our NutriCalc software. Get more information and watch a demo of the NutriCalc HFSS Score Report here.
HFSS Food Product Categories:
PLEASE NOTE: the information below is only intended to act as a brief summary of the Government’s guidelines. For further clarity and a definitive list for each category, please read the ‘what food is in scope’ section of the official guidelines here.
Category 1: Prepared Soft Drinks Containing Added Sugar Ingredients. Such as soft drinks, milk-based / milk substitute drinks, juice-based drinks, fruit juices or smoothies, fermented (yoghurt) drinks, breakfast drinks, ready-to-drink tea and coffee / powders, hot chocolate-based products, malt drink powders, milkshake powders / syrups, flavoured / unflavoured milk substitute drinks, chai latte, kombucha, energy drinks, and protein powders.
Category 2: Crisps and Savoury Snacks. Covers all potato crisps and similar products made from potato, other vegetables, grain or pulses, including extruded, sheeted and pelleted snacks. Such as corn puffs, potato hoops, tortilla chips, fried flavoured or seasoned chickpeas, seaweed-based snacks, Bombay mix, pitta bread-based snacks, pretzels, pappadums, prawn crackers, pork scratchings, salted popcorn, bagged savoury crackers, and rice cakes or biscuits.
Category 3: Breakfast Cereals. Such as ready-to-eat cereals, granola, muesli, porridge oats and other oat-based cereals.
Category 4: Chocolate and Sweets Confectionary. Such as sweet / mixed sweet & salty popcorn, chocolate-coated nuts / peanuts / seeds & fruit, white / milk / dark chocolate, cooking chocolate, chocolate bars and boxed chocolates, bagged slabs or tubed sweets, jellied fruit sweets, chewing gum, marshmallows, and chocolate-covered products.
Category 5: Ice Cream, Ice Lollies, Frozen Yogurt, Water Ices and Similar Frozen Products. Such as ice cream tubs, handheld ice cream, ice lollies, choc ices, frozen yoghurt, vegan ice cream, sorbets, gelato-style ice cream, lactose-free ice creams, ice cream desserts, and alcohol-flavoured ice cream products that are below 1.2% ABV or alcohol-free.
Category 6: Cakes and Cupcakes. Such as all sponge cakes, cupcakes, cake bars and slices, doughnuts, American muffins, flapjacks, swiss rolls, brownies, tray bakes, cream cakes, mini rolls, éclairs, and frozen cakes.
Category 7: Sweet Biscuits and Bars Based on Nuts, Seeds or Cereal. Such as cereal bars, toaster pastries, sweet flavoured rice or corn cakes, filled and unfilled sweet biscuits, breakfast biscuits, shortbread, ice cream wafers or cones, and coated chocolate biscuit bars.
Category 8: Morning Goods. Such as croissants, pains au chocolat and similar pastries, crumpets, pancakes, buns, teacakes, scones, waffles, Danish pastries and fruit loaves, English muffins, bagels (plain and sweet), hot cross buns, fruited and sweet non-fruited buns (including iced buns), brioche, and malt loaf (both sweetened with sugar or fruit).
Category 9: Desserts and Puddings. Including sweet pies, tarts and flans, cheesecake, gateaux, dairy desserts, sponge puddings, rice pudding, crumbles, fruit fillings, roulade, powdered dessert mixes, custards, jellies, meringue desserts, choux pastry desserts, mousses, Christmas pudding, trifle, roly poly, and dessert pizzas.
Category 10: Sweetened (Whether with Sugar or Otherwise) Yoghurt and Fromage Frais. Such as flavoured Greek-style yoghurts, probiotic yoghurts, split yoghurts or twin chamber pots, kids’ yoghurts, fat free and low-fat yoghurts, dairy-free yoghurts, fromage frais, and drinking yoghurts.
Category 11: Pizza (except plain pizza bases). Such as deep pan, deep dish, thin crust and stuffed crust pizzas (all topping varieties and all sizes), and flatbread pizzas.
Category 12: Chips and Potato Products. Such as roast potatoes, potato and sweet potato chips, fries and wedges, potato waffles, novelty potato shapes (such as smiley faces), hash browns, rostis, crispy potato slices, and potato croquettes.
Category 13: Ready Meals, Meal Centres, and Breaded / Battered Products.
Ready Meals: prepared meals (often suggested for heating in the microwave or oven), such as Chinese, Thai, Italian, traditional and so on, with carbohydrate accompaniment (potato, rice, noodles, pasta and so on) made from meat, poultry, fish, meat alternatives or vegetables. Includes filled or stuffed pasta (for example, ravioli and tortellini) whether chilled or tinned. Includes dishes such as vegetable curries, dhal and other dishes that can be consumed as a meal. Potato-topped pies are included in this category, as are burgers in a bun, and fries, chips or wedges with toppings (often referred to as ‘dirty fries’ or ‘loaded fries’), and filled jacket potatoes.
Fresh pasta, rice or noodles with added ingredients and flavours, including filled or stuffed pasta (for example, ravioli and tortellini).
Meal Centres: prepared meal centres (often suggested for heating in the microwave or oven), such as Chinese, Thai, Italian, traditional and so on, without a carbohydrate accompaniment and made from meat, poultry, fish, meat alternatives or vegetables. Includes products served in a sauce or with a sauce as part of the product – for example, in a packet or sachet intended to be poured on during or after heating.
Battered or Breaded Products (fresh, chilled or frozen): includes a number of products that might be consumed as the main element of a meal such as fish fingers, chicken nuggets, battered fish, fish or chicken goujons, breaded meat substitutes, scampi, kievs, breaded chicken fillets, ‘lightly dusted’ products, cereal-coated products and gluten-free alternatives.
Additional Product Guidelines:
There are additional guidelines for the product categories listed below, which can be viewed here:
Individual products vs composite meals
Seasonal products and seasonal promotions
Selections, platters, hampers and gift sets
Food to go
Food and drink items not covered