Shoppers across England woke up to a new retail reality on October 2, 2025: the once-ubiquitous “buy one, get one free” deals and other multi-buy promotions on unhealthy food and drinks have disappeared from supermarket shelves and online carts. After years of debate, delays, and mounting public health warnings, the government’s ban on such offers has finally come into force, impacting everything from fizzy drinks and sweets to crisps, cakes, and even family staples like fish fingers and pizzas.
The new legislation, as reported by multiple sources including the BBC and Guardian, applies to all major supermarkets, larger high street shops, and online retailers. Restaurants and cafes are also affected, now prohibited from offering free refills on certain sugary drinks. The move follows a related measure introduced in 2022 that banned unhealthy products from prominent store locations such as checkouts and aisle ends—a change that, according to a University of Leeds study, led to two million fewer unhealthy products being sold every day.
Ministers have called the restrictions a “crucial step” in tackling England’s growing obesity crisis, particularly the alarming rates of childhood obesity. A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care stated, “Obesity robs children of the best possible start in life, sets them up for a lifetime of health problems and costs the NHS billions.” In fact, over a quarter of adults and a fifth of children at the end of primary school are now classed as obese, with the numbers rising sharply in recent years. Government statistics cited by Metro indicate that from 2022 to 2023, 64% of adults were overweight or obese—a 2.8% jump since 2015-2016. Men are particularly affected, with nearly 70% falling into these categories.
The ban’s scope is broad, covering a wide range of products classified as unhealthy due to their influence on child obesity. The list includes not just obvious culprits like chocolate, sweets, and crisps, but also ice creams, pastries, cakes, some pizzas, and popular prepared foods such as fish fingers. Fizzy drinks containing sugar, such as lemonade and cola, are also targeted. The government’s classification system for these products is designed to reflect the foods most implicated in rising childhood obesity rates.
The journey to this ban has been anything but straightforward. Originally slated for 2022, the legislation was delayed as the government cited the cost-of-living crisis, arguing that families needed access to affordable food options. Health campaigners, however, have criticized the postponement. Greg Fell, president of the Association of Public Health Directors, told the BBC that the move was a “long-overdue first step,” adding, “Multi-buy promotions do not save people money—in fact, they encourage them to spend more. They are designed to encourage impulsive purchases and to normalise buying more and more frequently.”
Fell further emphasized that while the new rules are a positive development, they are “not a silver bullet.” He called for additional measures, including tighter restrictions on the sponsorship of sporting and leisure events by junk food brands, more investment in promoting active travel, and improvements in school food quality. He also highlighted the disproportionate impact of obesity on people in more deprived areas, noting that they are nearly twice as likely to be obese as those in more affluent regions—a key driver of health inequalities.
The retail industry’s response has been mixed but largely compliant, according to Andrea Martinez-Inchausti of the British Retail Consortium. “There will not be a big change for them,” she said, noting that many retailers, including Sainsbury’s and Tesco, had already implemented similar restrictions ahead of the government mandate. “Food retailers are supporting their customers to make healthier choices through better calorie labelling, reformulation of products, and portion control.” The vast majority of consortium members are now following the new rules.
While public health experts and government officials are hopeful that these changes will make it easier for families to make healthier choices, not everyone is convinced. Critics argue that the ban is a blunt instrument that places undue responsibility on consumers while letting food manufacturers and advertisers off the hook. As Metro observed, many online commentators see the policy as an example of “nanny statism,” with one Reddit user asking, “What is it with this country’s obsession with nanny statism?” Others worry that companies will simply find ways around the rules—by increasing package sizes, lowering prices, or bundling products differently—thus undermining the intended health benefits.
There are also questions about enforcement. The legal description of the ban currently applies only to major supermarket chains and large retailers, as well as restaurants that offer unlimited refills on soft drinks. If the restrictions are later extended to smaller shops, keeping tabs on compliance could become significantly more challenging.
Despite the criticism, there is evidence that such interventions can have a real impact. The University of Leeds study cited earlier found that after the 2022 ban on unhealthy products at checkouts and other key locations, sales of these items dropped from 20 out of every 100 items sold to 19—a seemingly small change that, when scaled up, means millions fewer unhealthy products sold each day. The researchers did note, however, that other factors, such as a pre-existing downward trend and high rates of inflation, may have also played a role.
The October 2025 ban is just the beginning. In January 2026, further restrictions are set to take effect, including a ban on advertising less healthy food and drink on television before the 9:00 PM watershed and a complete ban on online promotions. This follows a UK-wide ban on TV adverts for food high in sugar, salt, and fat before 9:00 PM announced by former prime minister Boris Johnson in 2021, which was later delayed to 2025 to give the industry more time to adjust. Wales is scheduled to introduce similar restrictions next year, with Scotland also confirming plans to follow suit.
Industry lobbying has been a persistent obstacle. The planned ban on junk food commercials targeting children, for example, was delayed until 2026 after pressure from the food industry. Over the past decade, the UK has also introduced tighter rules around calorie labelling and nutritional information, as part of a “10 Year Health Plan” aimed at holding food retailers to higher standards.
Ultimately, the new regulations represent a significant shift in the way England approaches public health, retail, and personal choice. Whether they will succeed in reversing the country’s obesity epidemic remains to be seen, but for now, shoppers will need to adjust their habits—and perhaps their expectations—at the checkout. The debate over how best to balance public health, personal freedom, and corporate responsibility is far from over, but for many, this week marks a turning point in that ongoing conversation.
