Ban on multibuy deals on less healthy food finally enters into force

Recipe for Change ^ | October 2, 2025 | Recipe for Change

[bgill]

As of 1 October 2025, companies can no longer offer multi-buy deals on items including cakes, biscuits, crisps and savoury snacks, confectionery and soft drinks if they are assessed to be high in fat, salt and/or sugar (HFSS).

The Children's Food Campaign has been campaigning on junk food promotions and marketing for over 20 years. An original consultation took place during 2018 as part of the previous government's Child Obesity action, and legislation was finally passed in Parliament in December 2021. It was meant to come into force by 1 October 2023, but industry lobbying then pressurised the government into a series of further delays.

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TOPICS:
KEYWORDS: foodrestrictions

[bgill]

UK's Big Brother has banned 2 for 1 sales on junk food and 50% more in a bag of chips and no free refills at restaurants. TV commercials for junk food is banned until after 9 pm. Can't put junk food on end shelves in grocery stores, etc. Oh, but it's for the children! Sounds more like government control. Give an inch and they'll take a mile. You know it'll cross the pond. Will they be issuing ration books for sugar and flour? Will they be limited to one plum pudding at Christmas and no cookies? Lemme guess, soon $tarbucks will only be allowed to serve straight black coffee. Lay's potato chips will have to change their slogan to, "You can only eat just one."

Control the food, control the people.

[equaviator]

Kroger uses their “Buy 5 or more” and save but you can never get that deal on meat, poultry and fish.

[Blurb2350]

That’s my beef with Safeway too — a Kroger store. Their specials require you to buy three or four or five identical items. And, as you say, they never offer such specials on fresh meat and produce.

[Made In The USA]

The rules on food promotion sound like they were written from an overzealous HOA Karen desperately seeking to prop up her self esteem by forcing her neighbors to have the grass clippings picked up within 2.5 minutes of mowing.

More appropriately… “People of the UK, I’d like you to meet my friend George. He’s written a couple books that I think you should read. The first one isn’t really about a farm, and the second isn’t about a VanHalen album.”

[HartleyMBaldwin]

Those specials are about the only time I buy chips and such. Regular prices have been ridiculous for a long time.

[Jonty30]

I have a ten cup coffee mug. Im good with no refills.

[No name given]

Odd.

[goodnesswins]

My Safeway does, ie chicken sausages

[Jonty30]

You'll be fine with refills with a 100oz mug.

[missthethunder]

And the next step will be to ban pork and alcohol.
It is normal for Muslim countries.

[Dr. Sivana]

That’s my beef with Safeway too — a Kroger store.

No. Kroger and Safeway attempted a merger, but it was blocked. Safeway is still owned by Alberston's, and Kroger owns numerous brands.

[Blurb2350]

Thanks for the correction, doc. But in my defense I’d point out that their various ads and marketing schemes are indistinguishable!

[Wuli]

In the U.K. it is not enough for “food experts” to make knowledgeable recommendations, the government is going to dictate that food sellers cannot sell you combinations of things rated “bad”.

They want A.I. driven drones, not human beings.

[bgill]

I put a few bags of fritos on the grocery list to have some frito pies this winter but I need to search for a scratch frito recipe just to see if they turn out close enough or are worth the effort to save money.

A 25 cent russet potato will make about as many chips as a store bought bag. I don’t bother putting them in water - just slice and fry. Can season with a homemade ranch mix, sour cream and onion, bbq, taco or whatever dry mix to flavor. Cheez-Its are awful but cutting a slice of American cheese into 16 squares and nuking them are really good. Cutting corn tortillas into 6ths or 8ths and frying/baking make tortilla chips. Same with flour tortillas but those need flavor sprinkled on them as they aren’t dip-able. There are Cheetos recipes but they seem too much trouble and the cheese powder is $$$.

CHiPs Ponch and Jon might show up and confiscate homemade junk food. Nancy’s ice cream stash will be exempt. Seriously, there is no telling where our leaders will take the bans once they get the idea.

[HartleyMBaldwin]

Good ideas, but I’m not fond enough of snack chips to go to the trouble of making them. I’ll buy some from time to time, when they’re on sale, and enjoy them until they’re gone. They aren’t a must-have staple.

[P.O.E.]

Sometimes I buy the multi-packs for trick-or-treaters.

[bgill]

Me neither but I’ve been thinking about a frito pie now that the mornings are cool and crisp. Football game concession food. Haven’t had one for years. Found a few frito recipes which just call for masa so have that already.

The next project using thin sliced potatoes is stained glass potatoes.

[kaktuskid]

Bring that crap over here and you will have civil war in a lot of areas.

[nomorelurker]

“Cutting corn tortillas into 6ths or 8ths and frying/baking make tortilla chips.”

One of my simple fun cheap things to do.
Depending on freshness of tortilla and moisture content you can shot for a puffy chip, crisp chip or one that handles dip well.