Rules by country / United Kingdom
Which UK food and drink rules change your prices?
Pick what you sell. You see only the rules that hit you, what each one means for your prices, and how we help.
7 rules change prices for UK food and drink
Coming next first. Open a rule for the detail and our service.
1 Oct 2027Coming Deposit return schemeShoppers pay 20p on every can and plastic bottle, and get it back when they return it. 20pon each can or plastic bottle Our servicePrice and pack planfrom £7,500
20p on cans and plastic bottles from 150ml to 3 litres. Wales includes glass.
Multipacks most: a 24-can case costs £4.80 more at the till.
Prices and pack sizes for October 2027, planned with the 2028 levy changes.
1 Jan 2028Coming Sugar levy widensThe threshold drops to 4.5g of sugar per 100ml, and milk drinks with added sugar come in. 27.8pa litre at 8g of sugar or more Our serviceSugar levy reviewfrom £7,500
Drinks from 4.5g to 5g start paying 20.8p a litre. Milkshakes, flavoured milks and iced coffees with added sugar come in.
Brands and importers of more than 1 million litres a year.
Pass it on, absorb it or cut sugar, product by product.
1 Oct 2026In force Multibuy ban on less healthy productsNo 3 for £5, BOGOF or extra free, and no prime spots in store. Now in England, Wales and Scotland. 3 for £5banned on less healthy lines Our servicePromotion planfrom £7,500
Volume deals and free refills are banned, and less healthy lines can't sit at checkouts, entrances or aisle ends.
Businesses with 50 or more staff selling sugary drinks, sweets, crisps, cakes and similar lines.
Which simple price cuts still pay, and what replaces your multibuys.
1 Oct 2026In force Minimum unit pricingAlcohol can't sell below 65p per unit: in Scotland since 2024, and in Wales since 1 October 2026. 65pper unit of alcohol Our servicePrice and pack planfrom £7,500
The lowest legal price is 65p times strength times volume.
Cheaper, stronger drinks most: value ciders, own-label spirits, large packs.
Price ladders and pack sizes that stay above the floor and still sell.
Apr 2026Rising yearly Packaging fees and plastic taxFees per tonne of packaging rise every year, most for packs that are hard to recycle. 2.0xthe fee for hard-to-recycle packs by 2028/29 Our serviceCost pass-on planfrom £7,500
Red-rated packs pay 1.2x the base fee in 2026/27, rising to 2.0x. Plastic with under 30% recycled content pays £228.82 a tonne in tax.
Every brand above the size thresholds selling packaged food or drink.
Which packs to change, and how much of the cost each product can carry in its price.
Feb 2026Every year Alcohol dutyDuty is charged by strength, and every rate rose 3.66% with inflation on 1 February 2026. +3.66%on every duty rate Our serviceDuty pass-on planfrom £7,500
Rates rise with inflation each year, and stronger drinks pay more per litre.
Beer, cider, wine, spirits and ready-to-drink brands.
How much of each rise to pass on, and where your price points sit.
Since 2011In force Alcohol multibuy banNo multibuys or other quantity discounts on alcohol in Scotland. 3 for 2banned on alcohol Our servicePromotion planfrom £7,500
Quantity discounts are banned, and alcohol promotions must stay in the alcohol area.
All alcohol sold in Scotland, in shops and on-trade.
Which simple price cuts pay in Scotland when multibuys can't be used.
Also worth knowing 5 rules with no direct effect on your prices
- Junk food ad ban
No paid online ads, and no TV ads from 5.30am to 9pm, for less healthy products.
- Energy drinks ban for under-16s
Drinks with more than 150mg of caffeine per litre, in England.
- Unit pricing rules
Standard units for unit prices, and unit prices for loyalty prices.
- Healthy Food Standard
Planned healthy sales reporting for large food businesses.
- Groceries Code (GSCOP)
How the largest grocers may set terms with their suppliers.
How it works
One fixed price, agreed before we start.
A free 15-minute call
Tell us what you sell and which rules worry you. We say whether a review would pay for itself, and quote a fixed price.
Your data
Weekly sales by product and retailer, and your costs. We sign an NDA before anything moves.
Your plan
Prices and promotions for every product, with the profit of each choice, walked through with your team.
Questions
Rules and rates change, so check the official source before making decisions. This page is not tax advice.
What are the new food regulations in the UK?
For prices, the big ones are the multibuy ban on less healthy food and drink (England since October 2025, Wales since March 2026, Scotland since 1 October 2026), the 65p minimum unit price for alcohol in Wales since 1 October 2026, the deposit return scheme from 1 October 2027 and the wider sugar levy from 1 January 2028. Packaging fees and alcohol duty rise every year.
What are the new junk food laws in the UK?
Two sets of rules. Larger businesses can't run multibuys such as 3 for £5 or BOGOF on less healthy food and drink, or place those lines at checkouts, entrances and aisle ends. And since 5 January 2026 there are no paid online ads, and no TV ads from 5.30am to 9pm, for less healthy products. Brand-only ads are exempt.
How much does a pricing review cost?
A review of up to 10 products has a fixed price from £7,500 and takes about three weeks. For 11 to 50 products, a full pricing review costs around £17,500. It starts with a free 15-minute call.
Sources for every rule on this page
- letsrecycle.com, Exchange for Change sets UK DRS producer fees Checked on 2026-10-20.
- letsrecycle.com, Wales to launch DRS in 2027 in line with rest of UK Checked on 2026-10-20.
- GOV.UK, Changes to the Soft Drinks Industry Levy: policy paper (13 July 2026) Checked on 2026-10-20.
- Scottish Government, Food promotion rules in Scotland from 1 October 2026 Checked on 2026-10-20.
- Welsh Government, Alcohol price rules change in Wales to help save lives Checked on 2026-10-20.
- Rodl and Partner, Plastic Packaging Tax: new rates (6 March 2026) Checked on 2026-10-20.
- GOV.UK, Alcohol Duty: rates change, policy paper Checked on 2026-10-20.
- University of Cambridge, study of the Scottish ban on alcohol multi-buy promotions Checked on 2026-10-20.
- GOV.UK (FSA), Healthier food targets and reporting (HFTR) Checked on 2026-10-20.
- GOV.UK, Groceries Code Adjudicator statutory review 2022 to 2025 Checked on 2026-10-20.