Each month the Sharp team saves you time by rounding up some of the latest trends and insights from the world of food and drink. It’s designed to help brand founders like you use trends, fine-tune your messaging and increase your brand awareness.  

This month we dig into the watershed moment that is the HFSS ad ban, the changing face of broadcast media and what all this means for your marketing mix.   

Quick guide to the HFSS ad ban 
This month marks something of a watershed moment for HFSS food and drink marketing.  It’s been a long time coming, five years to be exact since it was first touted. It’s part of the Department of Health’s target of halving childhood obesity by 2030.  The Grocer’s unofficial guide in their 10th January edition, explains what you now can’t do when it comes to advertising ‘less healthy foods’ on TV, as well as explaining legal definitions and loopholes. 

It looks as though the ASA (Advertising Standards Authority and CAP and BCAP (Committee of Advertising Practice and Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice) are going to be busy. But it’s ok because AI is on hand to help with monitoring! 

So, here are the headlines: 

• SMEs – those companies employing less than 250 people – will not be liable under the new rules.   
• Outdoor advertising, radio and print advertising have all escaped the ban, so far. 
• So has sponsorship… and creator-made content that is paid-for or even gifted! 
• And watch out for paid-for opportunities on retailer websites – they could fall foul of the ASA too. 
• All of the above means that owned websites and social media channels become more powerful, and podcasts are unrestricted if they have no visual ads 
• It probably won’t end here as the Government has signalled that it will likely overhaul the nutrient profiling model used to categorise HFSS products which means more products will fall under scrutiny. 

PR gets the final word…. 
Shout out to the MD of PR Agency One James Crawford who made the feedback page of The Grocer’s 17th Jan edition brilliantly pointing out that there was one omission to their HFSS analysis – PR.  YEESSS James! Earned media all the way!  

YouTube overtakes BBC for the first time 
Still on a media theme…. this month we celebrated the 100th anniversary of John Logie Baird’s invention: the television.  And how far TV has come with The Times reporting recently that traditional TV viewers are switching from BBC to YouTube: 

“According to data gathered by the independent ratings body Barb, the number of people watching YouTube for at least three consecutive minutes per month has consistently been higher than the figure for the BBC since it started measuring it in October. Barb found YouTube reached 51.9 million people in December, ahead of the 50.9 million who tuned in to the BBC.” 

Is this a tragedy for the BBC or simply a natural evolution of viewing habits meaning that more people don’t want to be constrained to scheduled TV?  Afterall as the article points out some of the content on YouTube might be BBC clips. 

It will be interesting to see how the BBC evolves its approach to broadcasting to keep step with the likes of YouTube. 

What we’re loving for lunch in the office: 
Co-op’s new Good Fuel range has launched four mini meals, designed for smaller appetites after data revealed that 3% of the UK population (around one in 30 people) now use weight-loss medication. (Not us – we just thought they looked perfect for a grey January day!) 

Each meal is perfectly portioned, packed with protein and fibre, includes at least one of your five-a-day, and takes inspiration from global flavours. Our top pick for a quick lunch pitstop is the Butternut Squash, Beans & Grains, but the Chicken & Sweet Potato Penang Curry, Chicken & Courgette Alfredo Pasta, and Chicken Teriyaki Noodles are firmly on our shopping list too. 

Watch out for more portion-controlled, whole-food packs with protein and fibre in 2026.