The Recipe of Socials: USI Studies the Impact of Food Marketing on Young People

A new study, conducted by Rida Khan, PhD student at the Institute of Communication and Public Policy (ICPP) at USI and member of the BeCHANGE Research Group, in collaboration with Dr. Afifa Tanweer and Professor Suzanne Suggs, has been published in the scientific journal Public Health Nutrition (Cambridge University Press). The research examines how celebrities and influencers use Instagram to promote foods and beverages high in fat, sugar, and salt, particularly targeting young audiences.

The analysis, based on hundreds of posts, revealed that the most frequently promoted categories were soft drinks, energy drinks, and ready-made foods. Almost 90% of the products fall into the category considered by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as not suitable for advertising to children and adolescents. The promotions were often non-transparent, rarely identified as sponsored content, and relied on associations with sporting events, new product launches, taste, and fun.

"Adolescents are particularly susceptible to social media influence," said Rida Khan, lead author of the study. "When their favourite celebrity or influencer posts about a specific drink or snack, it is not perceived as advertising, but as a personal recommendation. Our research shows that these recommendations from influencers undermine efforts to improve adolescent health and to address overweight and obesity."

The authors of the study emphasise the need to update regulations, also to encompass digital marketing. They recommend the introduction of clear rules for influencer marketing of unhealthy products, the mandatory use of transparent and unequivocal labelling for sponsored content, and greater responsibility from social media platforms in protecting young users.

The full article is available online in Public Health Nutrition:
Read the article

Reference
Khan R, Tanweer A, Suggs LS. Analysing celebrity and influencer marketing of food and beverages to adolescents on Instagram. Public Health Nutrition. 2025;28(1):e144. doi:10.1017/S1368980025101006