New global study finds food ads drive junk food intake; India’s action plan still idle

By Jag Jivan  

A new multinational study published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity (2025) has found a clear and consistent link between food marketing and unhealthy dietary choices among children and adolescents. Conducted across six countries — Canada, Australia, Chile, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and the United States — the study analyzed data from 9,057 participants aged 10 to 17. It revealed that children frequently exposed to advertisements for fast food, sugary drinks, cereals, snacks, and desserts were substantially more likely to have consumed those same foods the previous day.

The study, titled "The association between exposure to food marketing and dietary intake among youth in six countries", used data from the 2023 International Food Policy Study Youth Survey, which assessed how often participants encountered food advertising across various media — including television, social media, packaging, and retail environments — and how this exposure influenced their eating habits. Overall, 84.5% of respondents reported exposure to ads for sugary drinks and 89% to fast-food advertisements in the past month. In Mexico, nearly 97% of youth reported seeing fast-food promotions, compared to about 85% in the UK.

The findings showed that exposure to unhealthy food marketing directly translated into higher odds of consumption. Youth exposed to fast-food ads daily were 1.4 times more likely to have eaten fast food the previous day, while those exposed to sugary cereal advertisements more than once a day were over three times more likely to have consumed them. Similarly, exposure to sugary drink advertising “a few times a week” increased the likelihood of drinking them by 66%.

Marketing techniques such as the use of celebrities, cartoon characters, sports teams, and promotional tie-ins also had a strong influence. Two-thirds of all respondents reported seeing ads featuring at least one of these persuasive techniques, and those who did were significantly more likely to have consumed sugary drinks (AOR 1.44), fast food (AOR 1.69), sugary cereals (AOR 1.26), and desserts or treats (AOR 1.42). Researchers noted that such tactics particularly affect younger audiences, who are less capable of recognizing the persuasive intent of advertising.

While exposure to marketing for fruits and vegetables was less frequent, it was associated with slightly higher reported consumption of these foods in most countries. However, the overwhelming volume and visibility of advertisements for high-fat, sugar, and salt (HFSS) products meant that unhealthy choices dominated youth diets. Across all six countries, more than half the participants reported consuming sugary drinks, and around 70% had eaten desserts or treats on the day before the survey.

The study emphasized that these patterns were remarkably consistent across different cultural and regulatory settings. Countries with mandatory marketing restrictions — such as Chile and Mexico — still reported high exposure levels, suggesting that enforcement gaps and the spread of digital marketing may be undermining national regulations. The authors concluded that voluntary self-regulation by the food and beverage industry is insufficient and that governments must adopt comprehensive, legally binding restrictions on food marketing directed at children.

Dr. Arun Gupta, Convener of the Nutrition Advocacy for Public Interest (NAPi), said, “This new multinational study published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity (2025) has found a clear association between exposure to food marketing and higher consumption of marketed foods, most of which are ultra-processed or high in fat, sugar and salt (HFSS). 

He added, "The study calls for global restrictions on food marketing to reduce the burden of diet-related diseases. In India, the National Multi-sectoral Action Plan (NMAP) 2017–2025 had already identified curbing unhealthy food marketing as a key strategy to halt the rise of obesity and non-communicable diseases. However, the plan remains largely unimplemented — even as aggressive promotion of HFSS and ultra-processed foods continues to shape dietary habits, particularly among children and adolescents.”

The study reinforces the growing body of global evidence that commercial promotion of HFSS and ultra-processed foods is a powerful driver of poor nutrition and chronic diseases. It calls for urgent international cooperation to implement and enforce marketing restrictions across traditional and digital platforms to safeguard children’s health and reduce the long-term burden of obesity and noncommunicable diseases.