Less Healthy Food (LHF) Advertising

New legislation on Less Healthy Food (LHF) will come into effect from 1 January 2026. After this time, ads for identifiable LHF products will not be shown on Ofcom-regulated TV and on-demand services before the watershed, nor as paid-for online advertisements at any time.

Along with other broadcasters and advertisers, STV has entered into a voluntary Industry Agreement, meaning that from October 1 2025, ads for identifiable LHF products will not be shown before 9pm on STV/STV Player, or as paid-for online advertisements at any time. This voluntary agreement is important as it gives the Government time to clarify the law to ensure brand advertising remains exempt from these rules. The restrictions do not apply to brand-only advertisements that do not feature LHF products.

In-scope advertisers are defined as those with portfolios inclusive of LHF Products and who wish to advertise LHF products. The products classified as LHF by UK Government can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/restricting-advertising-of-less-healthy-food-or-drink-on-tv-and-online-products-in-scope/restricting-advertising-of-less-healthy-food-or-drink-on-tv-and-online-products-in-scope.

Please note that any existing copy classified as LHF under the new regulations must be re-clocked and resubmitted to Clearcast. If your new or existing ad copy may be impacted by LHF restrictions, please factor in additional time for the clearance and delivery process to your campaign timeline. To find out more about LHF regulations and what it means for your campaigns, please refer to the guidance available from Clearcast: clearcast.co.uk/news-and-blog/lhf-less-healthy-foods/, or get in touch with your Account Manager, who will be happy to help.