Evaluation of the proposed application of the new nutrient profiling model to the advertising and promotions restrictions for less healthy food and drink products

Report

The UK Nutrient Profiling Model (NPM) is a tool used in the UK to determine which food and drinks are ‘less healthy’ by scoring products based on their nutrient content. It was first developed in 2004/5 and is used as part of a two-step process to underpin the existing advertising and promotions restrictions. The legislation specifies that a food or drink product is ‘less healthy’ and falls into scope of the restrictions if it meets two criteria:

i. it falls within one of the specified food or drink categories in the Schedules of advertising and/ or promotions restrictions and;

ii. it is shown to be high in saturated fat, salt or sugar (HFSS) when applying the NPM 2004/5 using the 2011 Technical Guidance.

In 2015, the UK Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) updated its dietary advice, particularly around free sugars. The Government accepted these recommendations and commissioned a review and update of the NPM to reflect these updated dietary recommendations. In 2018, an updated version of the 2004/5 model was published with minor adjustments to the fibre and salt thresholds, and a switch from total sugars to free sugars and changes to the scoring thresholds. The new NPM was published in January 2026 and in March, the UK Government launched a consultation on the proposed application of the NPM 2018 to the advertising and promotions restrictions for less healthy food and drink.

This study aimed to assess how the proposed application of the new NPM 2018 to the advertising and promotions restrictions would affect the classification of grocery products sold in UK supermarkets. The aims and research questions were co-developed with members of the Nutrition Evidence, Surveys and Translation Team and Diet and Obesity Policy Analysis Team, Office for Health Improvement and Disparities. The analyses were conducted independently. The project was funded by NIHR Policy Research Programme (NIHR510239).

Authors: Sarda, B; Scarborough, P; Bandy, L

• Publication status: Published
• Publisher: Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford
• Publication date: 2026-10-26
• DOI: 10.5287/ora-mv5w9mmx8
• Commissioning body: Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences
• Language: English