If you’re a food brand, you need to start acting now. If you want to stay ahead, we at Diony can show you what to do next. Here’s our take…

Understand the Rules (Then Work Around Them)

The main target of the regulation: paid online advertising. That means PPC, display ads, influencer posts with paid boosts, all of it. If your products are classified as HFSS under the government’s 2004/2005 Nutrient Profiling Model, they will be directly targeted. However, not everything is off the table. Generic brand ads that don’t feature HFSS products are still allowed. So are organic strategies like SEO, email marketing, and unpaid social. B2B marketing is also safe.

Let’s break that down. If you’re promoting to wholesalers or targeting commercial buyers, you’re still in the clear. If you’re an SME-sized food business, you may also be exempt. That’s a window of opportunity you should make the most of.

Be the Brand that Acts Early

It’s clear the brands that will win post-October 2025 are those already laying the groundwork.

Our recommendation: make use of organic…

  • SEO takes time, but it goes far to build a strong foundation
  • Email marketing keeps your base audience close and engaged. 
  • Organic social still lets you speak directly to your audience and strengthen your brand, without extra spending on ads.

Another thought: sub-brands. The law targets HFSS products, not companies. If you have a diverse range of products, consider splitting out HFSS lines from healthier alternatives. That creates space to keep your paid campaigns running whilst adhering to the rules.

No Time for Passive Planning

Waiting until the deadline is a mistake. Making the transition isn’t just about turning off paid ads, it’s about reorganising your entire strategy. If you want to get ahead now, our recommendations would be to test your organic performance, shift over your budget, review your product line, and explore partnerships that boost reach without paid placements.
For food businesses, this is a real reckoning. Yet, it’s also a rare chance to rethink how you connect with your market. The earlier you act, the more time you have to get ahead.

Our Take

The ad ban is coming, and it will hit harder if you’re not prepared. But don’t panic. We at Diony are here to help you prepare.
As a leading digital marketing agency working from Hull and Leeds, we’re not waiting for the deadline. We’re already working with our clients on forward-thinking ways around the change.

Need guidance on your next move? Let’s have a discussion.

Working with the Diony team to roll out our CRO strategy involved rapid A/B testing, streamlined checkout flows and data-driven insights—resulting in a 21.3% uplift in online revenue.

Alistair – Diony

As a leading digital marketing agency working from Hull and Leeds, we’re not waiting for the deadline. We’re already working with our clients on forward-thinking ways around the change.