UK | As of October 2025, companies can no longer offer multi-buy deals on items including cakes, biscuits, crisps and savoury snacks, confectionery and soft drinks if they are assessed to be high in fat, salt and/or sugar (HFSS).
The Children's Food Campaign has been campaigning on junk food promotions and marketing for over 20 years.
An original consultation took place during 2018 as part of the previous government's Child Obesity Action, and legislation was finally passed in Parliament in December 2021. It was meant to come into force by October 2023, but industry lobbying then pressurised the government into a series of further delays.
"It's good news for children's health and for everyone who wants healthy food to be the affordable, available and appealing option. Whilst they are promoted as 'deals', multi-buy promotions are designed to get us to both buy more and spend more money, and encourage impulse purchasing,” said Children's Food Campaign Manager Barbara Crowther.
“They are overwhelmingly focused on unhealthy food and drink, but the public wants special offers to focus on their core shopping basket and healthier food. These new rules will make companies reduce salt, sugar or fat in their products as well as put the promotional spotlight onto healthier options, which is good for our health and our household budgets."
The new rules will apply in England to all large supermarkets (with over 50 employees) but not to small businesses, and also to free refills of sugary drinks in cafes and restaurants.
The regulations include categories of less healthy food and drink that have been assessed as contributing the highest levels of sugar and calories to children's diets. These include pre-packed confectionery, cakes, pastries, biscuits, crisps and savoury snacks, ice creams and lollies, breakfast cereal and soft drinks.
Other food sold in cafes and restaurants, as well as products sold loose (eg bakery goods) remain exempt. Products are restricted from multibuy price promotions only if the official Nutrient Profiling Model assesses them as being overall high in fat, salt, and/or sugar (HFSS) and low in fibre, protein, and other nutrients. Healthier versions of these products can still be promoted.
The rules apply specifically to price promotions focused on purchasing multiple items. Typically dubbed buy-one-get-one-free (BOGOF), more common promotions in recent years have included 3 for the price of 2, X items for GBP Y, or added volumes (e.g., 50 percent extra), all encouraging customers to spend more money on additional products.
The restrictions are designed to complement regulations introduced in October 2023 (passed as part of the same original legislation as the multibuy regulations), which focus on restricting prominent displays of these items in store entrances, till areas, and aisle ends.
The long-delayed 9 pm watershed and an online ban on advertising of less healthy food and drink were also meant to come into force in October 2025.
Still, these are not only further delayed until the 5th of January 2026, but new exemptions for brand advertising have also caused significant concern in relation to achieving the government's aim of protecting children from unhealthy food and drink advertising, as well as achieving the stated aims to reduce diet-related ill health.
"This Government pledged to raise the healthiest generation of children ever and yet they've ignored the evidence, instead pursuing a policy that essentially enables business as usual,” said Sustain's commercial determinants co-ordinator Fran Bernhardt.
“They've not only scuppered the opportunity to set the stage for healthier food, they've written something so weak that it incentivises industry to develop more unhealthy products. Industry will be celebrating another ruined health policy, while the UK's children have been let down once again."
Wales and Scotland are expected to bring in similar regulations in 2026.
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