LFH AND HFSS ADVERTISING RULES – THE TRADE MEDIA OPPORTUNITY FOR BRAND OWNERS

The UK’s advertising restrictions on ‘less healthy foods’ (LHF) are no longer theoretical. Since January 2026, the rules governing how less healthy food and drink (formerly referred to as products that are high in fat, sugar or salt (HFSS)) can be promoted online have fundamentally changed the advertising landscape. Much of the early attention has focused on consumer-facing channels. But now, with the rules embedded into day-to-day practice, a more strategic question is front of mind for food and drink brand owners in the trade advertising space: what does effective trade advertising look like in a post-HFSS ban world, what’s allowed, and how can brands find a competitive advantage?

For many organisations, the first couple of months of enforcement have triggered a reassessment of long-established – and often bad – trade marketing habits. Product-led tactics that have traditionally dominated digital trade media — hero pack shots, launch banners and promotional call-outs — now require careful handling or are no longer suitable in open-access environments. Yet, as we explored in Beyond the Ban: Finding the Opportunity in LFS & HFSS Guidelines, regulation does not remove the opportunity to advertise. Instead, it reshapes it, creating the conditions for stronger, more disciplined and more strategic brand building.

Since January 2026, paid online advertising of identifiable LHF/HFSS products has been restricted in open-access digital environments. Print trade media remains unaffected, and fully verified B2B channels — such as logged-in newsletters and targeted mailshots — continue to allow identifiable product promotion where robust audience verification is in place.

Crucially, the legislation is centred on product identifiability in the digital space where consumers may potentially still roam, but does not include a ban on brand visibility. As in the consumer space, this distinction has become one of the most important strategic levers available to advertisers.

In other words, brands are not being pushed out of digital trade media; they are being challenged to show up differently. Corporate branding, masterbrand assets, range-level messaging and non-product-specific creative remain permitted – and, when executed well, will be highly effective.

For years, trade advertising leaned heavily towards short-term activation. New product. New pack. New message. Repeat. But while this approach may have delivered immediacy, it arguably also made many brands overly reliant on tactical product visibility to generate recall and impact.

By contrast, the new regulations are forcing a rebalancing, and the brands that adapt most successfully will be those that invest in brand meaning, consistency and distinctiveness — qualities that will continue to work even when products themselves are not front and centre.

Indeed, there is a clear parallel with the consumer advertising landscape. As LHF/HFSS restrictions tighten, there is an opportunity for brands to invest in distinctive brand assets, tone of voice and long-term storytelling rather than retreating from visibility. Transitioning display activity towards category growth narratives will win out, offering the opportunity to use bold brand assets alongside messaging about shopper missions, merchandising support and rate-of-sale performance to direct trade buyers.

Add in a call to action to click through to verified environments for product detail, and trade advertising could finally (and consistently) offer the discipline that has so often been lacking in trade communications… creating genuine and compelling calls to action through owned landing pages that genuinely inspire audiences to engage and interact.

Where brands struggle under the new rules, the issue is unlikely to be down to following the new regulations alone. More often, it will be a reluctance or uncertainty on how to move beyond familiar, product-first habits.

Brand-led trade advertising requires creative confidence and discipline. Distinctive brand assets must do more of the work. Messaging must be sharper and more purposeful. And internal teams — from marketing to legal to sales — must align earlier in the process, with compliance considerations embedded from the outset rather than treated as a final-stage check.

The brands that will perform best will be those that view LHF and HFSS advertising regulation not as a limitation, but as a catalyst to raise the overall quality of their trade communication.

In the post-HFSS trade environment, effectiveness will be less about what you show and more about what you signal. The strongest campaigns will communicate commercial value clearly, without relying on identifiable product imagery.

Examples of effective approaches are likely to include:
– Brand-led digital display advertising that uses distinctive colour, typography and logo assets to maintain high visibility, paired with messaging focused on category leadership, growth potential or shopper demand.
– Sponsored thought-leadership content in trade media exploring themes such as reformulation, responding to regulation, supply chain resilience or emerging consumption occasions — positioning the brand as a credible and forward-thinking partner.
– Event and awards sponsorships that place brands at the centre of industry moments, reinforcing scale, stability and commitment to the sector even in the absence of product imagery.
– Integrated trade campaigns that combine open-access brand advertising with targeted, verified B2B activations — such as newsletters or mailshots — where product-level communication is both permitted and contextually relevant.

One particularly strong opportunity will be how brand-led advertising can be used to drive traffic to brand-owned trade platforms – something that should previously have been a no brainer, but which was often found sadly lacking in many B2B campaigns.

Contrast that with this pre-LHF advertising ban campaign in the convenience retail channel to support McVitite’s and Jacob’s owner pladis’ new Better Biscuits platform, where compelling digital advertising linked through to something genuinely tangible and useful for the reader…

Following examples like this will allow brands to remain compliant in open environments while still providing buyers with access to full product ranges, commercial tools and the sales support on offer behind the click. And the best thing is that now, more than ever, digital trade audiences are going to be seeking such information, because the product detail they’re used to seeing in many trade adverts will no longer be there.

A clear pattern is likely to start emerging. The winners will not necessarily be the biggest spenders, but the brands that:
– Invest consistently in trade brand equity
– Understand the nuances of different trade environments and audiences
– Balance long-term salience with short-term activation
– Act early, testing and refining approaches rather than reacting under pressure

Over time, these brands will build stronger mental availability with buyers — a critical advantage when listing, ranging and promotional decisions are made.

Navigating LHF and HFSS regulation successfully is going to be about far more than compliance. It will be about effectiveness, confidence and commercial impact, and this is where agencies with specialist trade knowledge like R&T can play a critical role.

By combining regulatory fluency with a deep understanding of trade audiences and media environments, R&T helps brands to grow their reputation and voice within the trade universe, developing campaigns that remain compliant across open-access channels, while still speaking the language of retailers and decision-makers.

LFH/HFSS regulation may have changed the rules of the game, but it has also clarified what great trade advertising can look like when done well: strategic, brand-led, commercially relevant and creatively confident. The brands that embrace this shift now will be the ones that continue to lead trade conversations long after the regulation itself fades into the background.

Navigating compliance is one thing. Making trade advertising work harder under the new rules is another. If you’re reassessing your approach, and would like to chat, get in touch.