The impact of HFSS legislation on shopper behaviour
26 September 2025Almost three years since the introduction of HFSS legislation, our Social Impact team has been exploring the impact on shopper behaviour.
With HFSS legislation having been introduced in 2022, we’ve been exploring how shoppers have been reacting to these changes. IGD, The University of Leeds, and four major retailers worked in collaboration to share data to enable an independent analysis by the University of Leeds to understand the impact of the HFSS legislation. With 1.2 million days of store-level data, the research looks across the wide spectrum of HFSS implications. Below are the key findings on how HFSS legislation has influenced shopper behaviour and perceptions.
There was a marked reduction in sales of HFSS products since the legislation was introduced. There was a 0.63 percentage point reduction vs a 10% baseline sales of in-scope HFSS products sold as a proportion of total sales in weight, which translates to 2 million fewer in-scope HFSS products sold per day. This is likely due to the shifting promotional space, and the positioning of HFSS products in-store. We also know that as a response to the legislation there was a significant amount of reformulation by industry with 44% of 21 retailers and manufacturers surveyed by IGD reformulating as a result of the legislation. While most shoppers may not have consciously noticed the changes, their purchasing behaviour shifted.
Shopper perceptions to the legislation were mostly positive, with 71% of shoppers seeing the legislation as a good first step. Having said that, 73% did not believe it would change their own behaviour and 56% did not notice any changes in-store. The majority still found it easy or very easy to find HFSS food and drinks in the supermarket. When looking at the overall impact, however, sales data demonstrates the shift on consumer behaviour.
From the results of the study, the reduction in in-scope HFSS products as a proportion of total sales was consistent across different store locations. This includes areas across the UK that are most likely to need support to access healthy and affordable food.
With future HFSS legislation incoming, it will be interesting to see how shoppers respond, and the real impact on sales data. Reformulation, shifting advertisements, and a wide variety of healthier alternatives will all be important to encourage shoppers to adopt a lifestyle change.
For more information, read our report: Evaluation of the HFSS placement legislation.