ReferenceGoogle Ads disapproval
High Fat Sugar Salt Food and Beverage Ads
In the UK and EU, Google restricts ads for high fat, sugar and salt food and drink on Display and YouTube. Advertisers must self-declare, and HFSS ads serve only to users declared 18 or older. Check each product against the nutrient thresholds. A self-declaration in an account that does not advertise food restricts serving to minors in some locations for every ad in the account, and that cannot be removed.
At a glance
- Where it shows
- The Status column on the Ads & assets page: Approved (limited) with the Other restricted businesses label for self-declared ads.
- What stops
- Serving is limited to users declared 18 or older.
- How serious
- Low for a food account. A self-declaration in an account that does not advertise food restricts serving to minors in some locations for every ad in it, and those restrictions cannot be removed.
- How long
- Google says most self-declaration applications are reviewed within 3 business days, and complex ones can take longer.
What it means
Google restricts ads that promote high fat, sugar and salt food and beverages on the Google Display Network and YouTube in the UK and EU. Any ad that promotes such an item is covered, whether the item appears in the text, the imagery, the audio or the video, or on the destination page.
The examples include candy, chocolate, pizza, milkshakes, hamburger meals with fries and energy drinks. Non-HFSS food such as 100% juice, restaurant delivery services that do not show HFSS items, unrelated services that only show HFSS food, and healthy-diet public service messages are allowed.
What actually triggers it
An HFSS campaign with no self-declaration
HFSS ads are allowed only when they comply with the policies and do not target minors, and the self-declaration is how an HFSS campaign is marked. The self-declaration is required in the UK and EU.
A product outside the nutrient thresholds
Google checks each product against thresholds per 100 g and per serving for saturated fat, sodium, sugar and calories. Products within the thresholds may be allowed, so the check is made product by product.
A self-declaration in an account that does not advertise food
Submitting the self-declaration when the account does not advertise food restricts serving to minors in some locations for every ad in the account. Those restrictions cannot be removed from a self-declared account, so the page's option for restricting only some ads is a separate account.
Fix it in this order
- Check each advertised product against the nutrient guidelines. Confirm it is within the thresholds per 100 g and per serving before any ad runs for it.
- If the account advertises food, submit the self-declaration through the High fat salt sugar food and beverage self-declaration form, either directly or through someone acting for the business.
- If the account does not advertise food, do not submit the self-declaration there. Run HFSS ads in a separate account instead.
- Hover over the ad, select Edit, make the change and select Save. Then check the Status column on the Ads & assets page.
When to appeal
Appeal in the account if an ad was labeled HFSS by mistake. Include nutritional information, such as a table of nutrition facts, to show the product is out of scope.
Often confused with
Also an age-restricted product, with its own country and audience rules. The HFSS rule is about the nutrition of food and drink, and applies on Display and YouTube in the UK and EU.