Scotland’s new rules on promoting less healthy food and drink

New regulations from the Scottish Government restricting the promotion of food and drinks high in fat, sugar or salt (HFSS) come into force on 1 October 2026. Claire Hislop RNutr (Public Health), Organisational Lead for Food and Physical Activity, explains the changes that people shopping in larger stores should see and why they’re important.  

Every day in Scotland, our food environment influences the choices we make. Whether we're walking down our local high street, popping into a supermarket, or grabbing something on the go, what we see around us shapes what we buy and eat.  

Why are these regulations being introduced? 

A healthy diet is important because it helps us live longer, healthier lives. But making the healthy choice isn't always easy when less healthy foods are often the most visible and heavily promoted. 

That's why these new regulations are being introduced. In larger shops, they will limit some of the ways foods and drinks that are high in fat, salt or sugar can be promoted. Shoppers should notice fewer prominent displays at entrances, checkouts and aisle ends, and less price promotions like ‘buy one get one free’, on items like cakes and sugary drinks.  

Importantly, this isn't about taking products off the shelves or stopping people from choosing what they want to buy. It's about creating a food environment that makes healthier choices the easy option. Shoppers will still be able to buy the same products they have bought before.  The new regulations aim to reduce impulse purchases by limiting marketing practices that give less healthy products the most prominent positions in shops. 

An important public health measure 

Around two-thirds of all adults in Scotland (66%) are living with overweight, with almost one quarter (24%) of children measured in Primary 1 at risk of overweight or obesity. Children in the most deprived areas are twice as likely to be at risk of obesity as those in the least deprived areas. 

These regulations support Scotland’s wider ambitions to improve diet and help more people maintain a healthy weight.  They are an important part of a broader approach to improving health and reducing inequalities. 

Achieving lasting change will require a comprehensive package of treatment and prevention measures, including strengthening weight management and support services.  

These regulations represent an important step towards improving access to healthy options in supermarkets and stores.  By building on these new regulations with sustained, coordinated action, we can create healthier communities, reduce inequalities and improve health across Scotland. 

I recently visited a local supermarket, in this video I explain what the new regulations mean and why they matter.

Further information

Read more about this on the Scottish Government's website.

Read Public Health Scotland's position statement: Improving Scotland's Diet and Weight.

Read our publication: It's Time to Put Health First: Transforming our food environment.

Find out more about why improving healthy weight is a key priority of Scotland’s Population Health Framework.

View our Primary 1 Body Mass Index (BMI) statistics covering the 2024 - 2025 school year.