The HFSS rules have arrived in stages, and 2026 is the year the remaining pieces land. If you run an independent store, here is where things stand and what is worth doing about it.
Where the rules stand now
Location restrictions have been in force since October 2022 for larger stores: products high in fat, salt or sugar cannot sit at checkouts, aisle ends or store entrances in shops over 185.8 square metres with 50 or more employees. Volume price promotions such as buy-one-get-one-free on HFSS products were restricted from October 2025. Advertising restrictions, including the 9pm TV watershed and paid online ads, came in alongside them, with enforcement beginning in January 2026.
The next date that matters is October 2026. Volume promotions printed on the packaging itself, such as a flash saying 50 per cent extra free, had an extra year of sell-through. From October 2026 affected retailers cannot sell those packs.
What this means in practice
Most independent stores fall below the size threshold for location restrictions, which is a genuine advantage: you can still merchandise products at the front of store that the multiples cannot. But promotion and pack rules follow the product, not the shop, so watch three things:
Check your promotional stock. If you are holding packs with printed volume offers on HFSS lines, plan to sell through them well before October. Ask your supplier which lines are affected before you reorder.
Reformulated ranges are your friend. Brands have spent three years reformulating below HFSS thresholds. These lines carry no restrictions at all, and wholesale ranges now flag them. Stocking reformulated versions of familiar brands keeps the promotion mechanics you rely on.
Your size can be a selling point. Under-threshold stores can still site impulse lines where they sell. That is a structural advantage over the supermarkets that is worth using deliberately.
The supplier's job in this
A wholesaler should be telling you which lines in your order are HFSS-affected, not leaving you to check nutrient profiles yourself. When we range a product, we record its HFSS status, and your account manager can run through your regular order and flag anything that needs attention before the October deadline.