Keeping up with regulatory changes is essential to run a compliant food and beverage business.
Here are 10 key food laws taking effect in 2025 that could impact your company.
1. UK: HFSS volume promotion ban
What is the new law?
From October 2025, the UK will ban multi-buy promotions and deals encouraging bulk purchases of high fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) products. Additionally, TV adverts for HFSS foods will be prohibited before 9pm, and there will be new limits on social media advertising.
How will it impact food and drink brands?
Brands may need to rethink their marketing strategy as the new rules limit how they can promote HFSS products. While basic price deals are still allowed, companies need advertising strategies beyond traditional TV spots and social media influencers.
Read more: preparing your business for HFSS 2025 restrictions.
2. UK: Product Regulation and Metrology Bill
What is the new bill?
The Product Regulation and Metrology Bill provides the UK Secretary of State with broad powers to update and modify product safety legislation.
The bill grants new powers for appointing inspectors, product recalls and enforcement notices. However, detailed implementation of these changes will be outlined in secondary legislation, which should be published in 2025.
How will it impact food and drink brands?
While the bill doesn't explicitly target the food and drink industry, its broad regulatory framework could affect these businesses, particularly through its provisions on weights and measures accuracy. We will understand the specific impacts when secondary legislation is published.
3. Netherlands: Updated allergen labelling guidelines
What is the new law?
Dutch food businesses have until January 2026 to comply with updated allergen labelling regulations. The new framework sets clear boundaries for how food manufacturers can warn consumers about potential allergen risks.
Companies must validate their warning labels through detailed risk assessments. They are also restricted to using standardised warning messages about specific allergens. The rules give special attention to complex situations, such as identical products made in multiple locations.
How will it impact food and drink brands?
Companies must conduct thorough risk assessments to justify any precautionary allergen warnings. They can only use specific, standardised phrases like "may contain" or "not suitable for consumers allergic to" followed by the exact allergen name.
Brands manufacturing the same product across different facilities will need to base allergen warnings on the highest-risk location. Meanwhile, to avoid confusion, those making "free-from" claims will be prohibited from using precautionary labels for the same allergen.
4. EU: Novel Food applications
What is the new law?
February 2025 brings a major change to the EU's novel food application process. The updated guidance demands more comprehensive scientific documentation, detailed production process information and enhanced safety assessments.
Under the new rules, applicants must provide comprehensive information about their novel food products. Data required includes manufacturing processes, composition, specifications, proposed uses, consumption patterns, safety data, toxicology, nutritional value and potential allergens.
How will it impact food and drink brands?
Food and drink brands pursuing novel food approvals in the EU will face a more structured but potentially more efficient application process. While companies need to provide more detailed documentation, clearer guidelines should help them submit more complete applications from the start. This will reduce delays caused by EFSA pausing assessments to request additional information.
5. USA: Bioengineered food disclosure
What is the new law?
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has updated its list of bioengineered foods to include insect-resistant sugarcane varieties and clarified the description of virus-resistant summer squash varieties. Companies must comply with these changes by June 2025.
Under the new legislation, food manufacturers, importers and certain retailers must disclose when their products contain bioengineered ingredients, either on text labels or as digital links/text messages. This regulation provides a uniform national standard for bioengineered food disclosure, replacing a patchwork of state regulations.
How will it impact food and drink brands?
Companies using these ingredients must implement one of the approved disclosure methods. This may mean modifying their packaging and updating their websites or digital disclosure systems to ensure compliance.
6. USA: PFAS in food packaging
What is the new law?
In January 2025, U.S. authorities introduced a ban on intentionally added per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in food packaging. The legislation targets artificially-made substances containing fully fluorinated carbon atoms, addressing growing concerns about these ‘forever chemicals’.
How will it impact food and drink brands?
Food companies may need to substantially change their product packaging to meet the new requirements. The PFA ban will affect everything from takeout containers to food wrappers. Manufacturers must audit their entire packaging supply chain and source alternative packaging solutions.
7. USA (California): Heavy metal disclosure in baby food
What is the new law?
California has enacted a law requiring baby food manufacturers to test their products for heavy metals monthly. Manufacturers must use accredited laboratories to test representative samples of infant and toddler food (except formula) for arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury and share the results on their websites.
The law sets a testing threshold of six parts per billion for each heavy metal, with manufacturers required to specify if levels exceed this limit.
How will it impact food and drink brands?
While this regulation only applies to sales in California, many major manufacturers plan to implement QR code labelling nationwide. Existing stock can remain on sale, with the new labels gradually appearing throughout early 2025.
8. Canada: Front of pack nutrition symbol
What is the new law?
Canada is rolling out mandatory front-of-package nutrition warning symbols in 2025. Products exceeding thresholds for saturated fat, sugars or sodium must display clear warning symbols on their principal display panel.
The requirements vary based on serving size. Products with smaller portions (≤30g/mL) face different thresholds than larger portions, while main dishes over 170-200g have their own requirements.
How will it impact food and drink brands?
This legislation will drive changes in packaging design and influence product formulation. Brands must assess their product range and decide whether to modify recipes to avoid warning symbols or accept the new labelling requirement.
It’s worth noting that the new labelling system includes exemptions for certain products including whole milk and raw fruits.
9. China: Food additive legislation
What is the new law?
China is implementing a significant update to its food additive regulations through a new national standard (GB 2760-2024) that will take effect from February 2025. This revision represents the first major change to the country's food additive standards since 2014.
The new standard changes how additives are regulated, incorporating nutritional fortification substances into the definition of food additives.
The updated standard revises the applications for certain additives, modifies definitions of food flavourings, updates processing aid regulations and adds new food categories. Some specific changes include restricting use of hydrogen peroxide to specific processes and establishing new rules for the combined use of sweeteners like aspartame and acesulfame potassium.
How will it impact food and drink brands?
Manufacturers for product sold in China must conduct comprehensive reviews of their formulations and ingredients lists. The inclusion of nutritional fortification substances as additives creates new compliance requirements.
10. Japan: Functional food laws
What is the new law?
Japan is implementing new regulations for Foods with Function Claims. The first change requires food businesses to report any suspected health hazards related to their functional food products to both the Consumer Affairs Agency Commissioner and prefectural governors.
The second key requirement specifically targets dietary supplements within the functional foods category. Manufacturers must follow Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards in their production processes.
How will it impact food supplement brands?
Many supplement manufacturers will face extensive operational changes to meet the new requirements. For example, companies may need to upgrade their manufacturing processes to meet GMP standards and establish efficient health hazard reporting protocols. Companies have until September 2026 to fully comply with these changes.
Keep pace with global food regulations in 2025
These 10 new food laws reflect growing global concerns about how best to regulate public health, sustainability and food safety. Early preparation will be key to remaining compliant in 2025 – particularly for businesses operating across multiple jurisdictions.
At Hooley Brown, we continually monitor global food legislation to provide detailed guidance on how changes may affect your business operations. For more information about any of these regulations, reach out to us.
