Does banning junk food ads work?

PhD Candidate Aarron Toal on the psychology behind our cravings. In 2020, the UK Government announced a ban on junk food advertising before 9pm. This followed the ban on in-store deals like 'buy one get one free' on unhealthy foods. There are also restrictions on where promotions can be placed in-store for foods high in fat, salt and sugar, such as those chocolate bars you sneakily add to your basket at checkouts. These intervention strategies seek to control unhealthy consumption choices and prevent even more health crises as the waistline of the population continues to increase. Fuelled further by the pandemic, the health of the nation has never been taken so seriously. But where does the craving for a doughnut or cheeseburger come from? And what new perspectives must social marketers or policy makers consider, when designing such an intervention strategy to control unhealthy choices? Triggering behaviour Evolutionary psychology offers a different way to understanding consumer behaviour.