Did the UK enact mandatory ID checks at supermarket entrances before people can shop for "basic essentials like bread or milk", starting September 12, 2025? No, that's not true: A UK government spokesperson told Lead Stories that the rumor is "completely false". No credible media organizations reported what social media posts labeled "breaking news".
The claim appeared in a video (archived here) published on TikTok on August 26, 2025. In it, the narrator said:
UK: no ID - no groceries. From September 12, a shocking new supermarket rule comes into force: Without a government-issued photo ID, you will not be allowed to enter any supermarket in the UK, even for basic essentials like bread or milk.
This is what the video looked like on TikTok at the time of writing:
(Source: screenshot of a post by the wellcometouk_usa account on TikTok.com)
A spokesperson for the UK's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs told Lead Stories on August 29, 2025, via email:
This is completely false.
When asked if there are any upcoming changes concerning IDs and supermarket entrances, the same spokesperson said:
...no changes.
Earlier, similar claims named different deadlines for the purported change: for example, August 12, 2025 (archived here) or August 18, 2025 (archived here).
Yet, as of August 29, 2025, a search across Google News for the keywords seen here (archived here) didn't yield any corroborating reporting: Search results only showed several 2024 articles discussing future use of digital IDs by those purchasing alcohol at supermarkets and entering bars.
A search for the same keywords on Yahoo (archived here) didn't lead to any credible news stories supporting the claim reviewed in this fact check.
