❓WHAT HAPPENED: “Two for one” offers on junk food and some free drink refills have been banned across England.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: The ban affects supermarkets, large retailers, and online vendors.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The ban came into effect in England at the start of October 2025.
💬KEY QUOTE: “Obesity robs children of the best possible start in life, sets them up for a lifetime of health problems and costs the [National Health Service] billions,” insists the Department of Health and Social Care.
🎯IMPACT: The measures aim to tackle obesity, especially in children, and include upcoming bans on advertising unhealthy foods before 9 PM on TV and online.
England has implemented a ban on “buy one, get one free” deals for junk food and certain free soda refills. The rule applies to grocery stores and other major retailers as well as online vendors. The regulations, which have been discussed for years, also ban free drink refill promotions for specific beverages in restaurants and cafes.
Social media users in the country have expressed disbelief at seeing signs appear on soda machines warning them that, “Based on new government laws,” they are only allowed to refill “low-sugar” soft drinks, with one asking, “Wtf is this country?”
wtf is this country? pic.twitter.com/EdHKZ4RqTw
— Luke Ramsden (@lukerramsden) October 3, 2025
Starting in January, advertising unhealthy food and drinks on TV before 9 PM will also be prohibited, along with all online promotions for such products. A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman called these measures a “crucial step” toward ensuring children have a healthy and happy start in life, saying, “Obesity robs children of the best possible start in life, sets them up for a lifetime of health problems and costs the [National Health Service] billions.”
The British government has created a classification system to support the advertising ban, targeting items like soda, candy, cakes, chocolates, and potato chips.
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