Domino’s ‘Cheeky Little Pizza’ Ad Banned Under HFSS Rules

Domino’s has become one of the first major food brands to have an advertising campaign banned under the UK’s new restrictions on promoting products high in fat, salt and sugar (HFSS).

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruled that advertisements promoting the company's £4 "Cheeky Little Pizza" range breached regulations introduced in January 2026, which prohibit paid online advertising of identifiable HFSS products and prevent television and on-demand adverts for such products from being shown before the 9pm watershed.

The ruling covered three separate adverts, including a television commercial, a video-on-demand campaign and a paid YouTube advertisement. The adverts promoted Domino’s "Cheeky Little Pizza" range, highlighting the £4 price point and positioning the products as a lower-calorie lunch option.

Domino’s had originally classified the featured Sausage and Bacon Cheeky Little Pizza as a non-HFSS product based on nutritional information supplied through an external assessment. However, during the ASA investigation the company discovered incorrect energy values had been used in the nutrient profiling calculation. When the figures were corrected, the pizza exceeded the HFSS threshold.

As a result, the ASA concluded the advertisements promoted an identifiable HFSS product and should not have appeared online or before the 9pm television watershed. All three complaints were upheld.

Following the discovery, Domino’s withdrew the advertising campaign and reviewed its internal nutritional assessment procedures to strengthen future compliance. The company said it is committed to ensuring advertising meets the latest regulatory requirements.

The decision is one of the first significant rulings since the UK's HFSS advertising restrictions came into force and demonstrates the importance of accurate nutritional data when assessing whether products fall within the legislation.

For food manufacturers, retailers and bakery businesses, the ruling serves as a reminder that lower-calorie claims alone are not enough to exempt products from the advertising rules. Products must meet the official nutrient profiling criteria before they can be promoted under the new regulations.

As enforcement of the HFSS rules continues, businesses across the food and bakery sectors are expected to review product formulations, nutritional calculations and marketing campaigns carefully to ensure they comply with the stricter advertising framework.