UK junk food ad ban: Why nutrition-led reformulation drives long-term growth

ACI Group is urging the food and beverage industry to prioritize reformulation and authenticity as brands adapt to the UK’s new junk food advertising ban — rather than investing in advertising workarounds. 

The government’s new restrictions ban advertising for “less healthy” food and drinks, including snacks, baked goods, cereals, and protein bars, on television before 9 pm and online at all times in what it calls “world-leading” action to combat childhood obesity.

Food products must pass a scoring assessment that balances their fat, sugar, and salt content against their nutritional value before they are permitted to feature in any online advertisement or pre-watershed TV spot.

The nutrient profiling system works by scoring products based on their energy, salt, fat, and sugar, then deducting points based on fiber and protein content. Any food product that scores more than four points, or any beverage that scores above one point, will be classed as “less healthy” and be subject to the ban.

Products fortified with nutrients like fiber and protein are more likely to meet these new requirements, according to ACI Group. Food Ingredients First sits down with the ingredient distributor’s CEO, Karsten Smet, who argues that a focus on nutrition and value-adding ingredients is the best way to navigate the complex new restrictions.

How can reformulation evolve from a compliance exercise into a long-term growth strategy for brands navigating the UK’s junk food advertising ban?

Smet: For many brands, reformulation starts as a compliance exercise, but it shouldn’t end there. When done properly, it can become a powerful growth strategy. Passing the nutrient profiling score isn’t just about staying on air but about building products fit for the future.

The advertising ban amplifies many challenges that food manufacturers and brands already face. Consumers have already been leaning towards healthier options that can make strong, evidence-based health claims as they look for convenient, health-boosting foods they can easily fit into their schedules.

As the junk food advertising ban is based on a scoring system that balances nutritional value against fat, sugar, and salt content, adding functional ingredients that deliver health benefits can “kill two birds with one stone.” It enables brands to maintain or expand their share of voice through advertising, while also delivering what consumers want by turning products into functional sources of fiber, protein, or other nutrients.

This is what formulators have to focus on — serving consumers what they want. If they view reformulation as a growth engine, then it will become one. If they view it as a box-ticking exercise to keep the ads on air, then that’s all it will be.

As functional ingredients shift from “nice-to-have” to essential, what new pressures will this place on supply chains, ingredient sourcing, and cross-industry collaboration?

Smet: As functional ingredients move from optional to essential in food and beverage formulations, pressure on supply chains will inevitably increase. Many ingredients, such as novel fibers, plant proteins, sugar-reduction solutions, or texture-modifying systems, are sourced from specialized or emerging suppliers rather than traditional commodity markets. And every new ingredient introduced into a formula comes with its own unique challenges around availability, consistency, scalability, traceability, safety, and regulatory assurance.The UK’s junk food ad ban could shift growth from ad spend to formulation.

That’s where collaboration becomes critical. The transparency requirements alone place a huge administrative burden on businesses that can draw resources from elsewhere.

Distribution experts like ACI Group play a key role in overcoming these challenges, connecting manufacturers with innovative and reliable ingredient partners – including specialists in functional fibers, protein systems, and clean label solutions. Distributors are supply chain experts with a firm understanding of the knock-on effect that even small formulation changes can have across production, procurement, and logistics, and that understanding means we can bear the administrative burdens associated with reformulation more easily.

Reformulation is rarely a single-ingredient swap — it’s a system-wide change, and success depends on close coordination between ingredient suppliers, manufacturers, and commercial teams from the outset.

Will transparency and authentic nutrition-led innovation become a more powerful competitive advantage than advertising spend in a market increasingly shaped by nutrient profiling rules?

Smet: The UK’s junk food advertising restrictions fundamentally change the rules of the game. For decades, growth in the fast food and snacks sector was driven largely by advertising spend and brand visibility, even as formulations became more complex, more processed, and more reliant on additives to deliver taste, texture, and shelf life at scale.

Today, that model is being challenged. Nutrient profiling shifts visibility away from who can shout the loudest and toward what’s actually in the product. In that sense, regulation has a levelling effect: smaller and challenger brands that have historically invested in simpler recipes, fewer ingredients, and less processing are no longer competing purely against the marketing budgets of large multinationals. “Provenance over promises” is the new winning strategy.

This creates a real opportunity for a return to cleaner labels and more transparent formulations. As brands work to reduce sugar, salt, and fat while boosting fiber or protein, we’re likely to see fewer “bolt-on” quick fixes and more holistic recipe redesigns — using ingredients that deliver both functional and nutritional benefits with less processing overall. Over time, that could reshape what we traditionally define as junk food.

In this environment, transparency and authentic, nutrition-led innovation will become a far more powerful competitive advantage than advertising spend alone. Brands that genuinely improve their recipes will not only retain access to key marketing channels but also build long-term trust with consumers. ACI Group supports that shift by helping businesses reformulate in a way that is credible, compliant, and commercially viable — turning regulatory pressure into an opportunity for differentiation and growth.