HFSS Regulation Expands Across Out of Home
The UK’s HFSS advertising restrictions have evolved, extending beyond television and digital to out of home media. This includes buses, shelters, street furniture, and transit networks. These changes reflect the same principles as the 9pm TV watershed and online rules: content that promotes specific high-fat, salt, and sugar products to audiences that include children is now restricted.
Out of home has long offered brands unparalleled reach and visibility. Busy urban corridors, high-footfall shopping streets, and major transport interchanges create ideal opportunities to connect with large audiences. Now, brands must ensure that messaging on these platforms complies with HFSS rules while continuing to deliver commercial impact.
What the Rules Mean for OOH
HFSS restrictions focus on product promotion rather than the medium itself. Any creative featuring identifiable HFSS products must consider the likely audience. Locations near schools, family areas, or high-traffic daytime zones are particularly sensitive. Routes or streets with predominantly adult commuters may still carry campaigns featuring compliant messaging, but the content must avoid directly depicting restricted products.
This is similar to online and TV rules – timing or age-gating alone does not ensure compliance. The emphasis is on who sees the content and how the product is presented. Agencies and planners must assess each OOH site for exposure to under-18s to determine whether product imagery can be used safely.
Creative Strategies for Compliance
Brand storytelling is now central to out of home campaigns. Creative can focus on lifestyle, brand values, or contextual messaging without showing the HFSS product itself. For example, a summer beverage campaign might highlight the enjoyment of outdoor social occasions or seasonal experiences without depicting the drink.
Narrative-driven and visually distinctive campaigns work well on buses, bus shelters, and other transit media, maintaining audience engagement while remaining compliant. Large-format panels, digital screens, and interactive installations can continue to provide high impact when aligned with these rules.
Integrating OOH Into Multi-Channel Planning
The new HFSS rules reinforce the need for integrated media strategies. Out of home campaigns should complement compliant TV and digital activity, ensuring brand presence without regulatory risk. Auditing potential exposure near family areas and high-traffic pedestrian zones is essential, and planners must balance visibility with compliance across all formats.
OOH offers the advantage of predictable, concentrated audiences. Creative can be strategically placed to maximise impact in urban corridors, transport hubs, and city centres while adhering to HFSS guidelines. The result is a media channel that continues to deliver scale, context, and cultural relevance.
Opportunities Within Constraints
Regulatory changes often drive innovation. HFSS restrictions encourage brands to rethink narrative, focus on long-term equity, and explore experiential or contextual campaigns. Pop-up activations, interactive panels, and sponsorship of city events are all ways to maintain engagement while respecting rules.
By treating the new HFSS OOH requirements as a creative challenge rather than a limitation, brands can continue to reach large audiences, build cultural presence, and reinforce brand values without directly promoting restricted products.
Planning for Compliance and Impact
The introduction of HFSS rules to out of home media highlights the importance of collaboration across creative, media, legal, and product teams. Every route, street, and transit corridor must be evaluated for audience composition. Narrative-led creative, seasonal campaigns, and contextually relevant messaging ensure compliance while maintaining visibility and commercial impact. For brands willing to innovate, out of home remains a highly effective medium in 2026. With careful planning, OOH can continue to deliver scale, relevance, and long-term brand engagement under the new HFSS framework.