The Marketing of “Health” – Joe Wicks & Food Advertising

By Sian Thomas Digital Marketing Executive
Published 8th Oct 2025
Category Social Media · Content & PR

Whether you are a brand owner, a digital marketer or part of a food company, this piece is for anyone who cares about public health, consumer behaviour and ethical marketing. At Bronco, we’ve noticed the balance between creativity and compliance for some of our clients, so we pay close attention when marketing shapes how people judge what is healthy or ethically right.

Today we’re talking about Joe Wicks’ recent documentary on UPF (ultra processed food) marketing “Licensed to Kill”.

For more context, I watched the documentary last night both as someone who’s spent the past couple of years cutting ultra-processed foods from my own diet, and as a marketer who’s fascinated by how powerful storytelling can shape our perceptions of “healthy” eating. Having worked with a number of health-related brands over the years, I’ve seen first-hand the ethical challenges that come with promoting products in industries where trust, regulation and consumer wellbeing intersect.

At Bronco, we’ve always believed good marketing should build trust as well as awareness, something we explored in our case study on building visibility in a niche healthcare market. Joe Wicks’ recent documentary highlights just how vital that trust is, showing how even well-intentioned marketing strategies within the food industry can blur the line between what’s healthy and what only looks that way.

This documentary is a sharp reminder that the food industry can make unhealthy foods look like healthy food products through packaging, language and claims. This blog post unpacks how that happens and what responsible marketers should do next.

Why Joe Wicks’ “Killer” Protein Bar Landed So Hard

Channel 4’s Joe Wicks: Licensed to Kill is one of the most eye-opening UK food documentaries in recent memory. It follows Joe, fitness coach, author and influencer with huge brand awareness, as he worked with a research team to create a “killer” protein bar that complied with every UK regulation yet contained 96 ingredients, including aspartame (classed as a Group 2B carcinogen by the World Health Organization) and a cocktail of other additives.

Despite the potential health risks, it could legally claim to be “healthy”:

“19 g of protein, 27 vitamins and minerals, and 200+ health and nutritional benefits.”

The Joe Wicks Killer protein bar looks exactly like the protein bars sold in supermarket chains and small stores across Britain and the United States from the front. (The other side of the protein bar’s packaging tells the rest of the story!) Yet, as the programme showed, that illusion of health is carefully crafted through food advertising, product placement, and digital marketing rather than real nutrition.

Joe Wicks, known for promoting healthy eating habits and healthy diets, was visibly emotional when deciding whether to actually put the Killer protein bar on the shelves. As someone whose entire career has focused on promoting healthier lives, he said he felt “tricked” by the rules that allow unhealthy food products to be advertised as nutritious food. He knew that by taking a strong stance, some of his audience might unfollow him. But this was too important to ignore.

Working alongside Dr Chris van Tulleken, who regularly advises the World Health Organization and UK public health agencies, Joe set out to show just how far the food industry’s marketing of foods has drifted from the goal of nourishing people. As van Tulleken explains, UPF (ultra-processed food) isn’t food, it’s an “industrially produced edible substance” designed for profit and shelf life rather than health benefits.

This is the loophole that brands are able to manipulate: you can play by the rules and still sell a product that undermines overall health.

How Packaging, Colours and Copy Create a Halo

If you’ve ever walked down a supermarket aisle, you’ll recognise the aesthetic: bright colours muted into pale greens, whites and craft paper browns that signal naturalness; buzzwords like high protein, low fat, no added sugar, natural flavours.

These are marketing strategies that exploit what psychologists call the health halo effect: the tendency for a single positive message to make consumers believe a food item is healthy overall. It’s a prime example of unhealthy food marketing disguised as healthy food promotion.

The UK Traffic-Light System

The UK’s voluntary traffic-light nutrition labels were meant to simplify choices in grocery stores. Each pack shows fat, sugar, salt and saturates in red, amber or green, helping people find healthier options. But studies and systematic reviews show that this approach can be flawed:

Labels vary by product categories and portion sizes.
The “per 100 g” basis often doesn’t reflect children’s typical viewing times or eating behaviour.
Some food companies use layout tricks, placing neutral design elements next to reds, to soften the visual impact.

In practice, energy-dense foods like snack bars or fast-food items can still earn green lights on individual nutrients, giving them an undeserved “healthy” glow.

The Latin American “High In” Warning Labels

By contrast, the document highlighted the way that several Latin American member states including Chile, Peru and Mexico have introduced black octagonal warning labels for products “high in” sugar, saturated fat or sodium. These are stark, unavoidable, and tested rigorously across study designs.

A Chilean literature review found purchases of sugary drinks and fast-food snacks dropped significantly once the new labels appeared.

In Mexico, a 2024 International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity study found that nearly half of adults reported buying fewer sugary drinks and unhealthy foods after front-of-pack warning labels were introduced, particularly cola and sodas, highlighting the potential of clear labels to drive healthier choices across diverse communities.

These policies prove an effective strategy can help consumers make healthier choices even in cluttered food environments. The UK traffic-light label, though well-intentioned, simply can’t compete with the clarity of a bold black warning.

Design and Language Tricks

Marketing teams in healthy food brands know that visuals drive consumer behaviour. Subtle cues like white backgrounds, lowercase fonts, imagery of oats or fruit, can override the facts printed inches away. Add words like vitamin-packed, clean, or guilt-free, and the target audience feels reassured.

This is what the Killer protein bar parodied so well. The research team behind the documentary crafted every inch of the front label using standard food industry playbooks: clean design, protein callouts, health-adjacent copy. It’s not illegal. It’s just deeply misleading.

Who to Trust, and How to Be Trustworthy

Influencer marketing has transformed how food companies reach young people and specific groups like high-minority neighbourhoods or lower-income households. Platforms like TikTok and Instagram serve billions of food advertisements every month, many during school holidays or at children’s typical viewing times.

Influencers have become the new face of food advertising. They can drive brand awareness faster than any billboard or TV slot. In many cases, brands report returns of $4–$6+ for every $1 spent (according to a Tomoson influencer survey and Dash). Because influencers carry social proof, they also more effectively shape consumer choices than in-store marketing interventions in many categories

When Influence Helps

Joe Wicks’ career is a case study in the power of authentic influence. His followers trust him because his brand is built on family, cooking from scratch, and balanced healthy diets. When he exposes the dark side of the food industry, people listen. That emotional authenticity, seeing him near tears, is the opposite of a polished PR stunt. It’s why this documentary is hitting home for many, and why Joe Wicks is so perfectly placed as an influencer to spearhead it.

When Influence Misleads

But influence goes both ways. The same system that can promote healthy food promotion can just as easily amplify unhealthy food choices. Many food advertisements feature cartoon characters or “wellness” influencers promoting sugary drinks, non-alcoholic beverages high in artificial sweeteners, and snacks targeting young children. This is heavily highlighted in the documentary.

The Federal Trade Commission in the United States and the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority have both issued warnings about misleading health claims in influencer content. Yet enforcement lags behind and lines are so often blurred that’s near impossible to draw a line.

As marketers, it’s easy to assume everyone knows not to take every influencer at face value. But for the average social media user, the people actually scrolling, liking and buying, there’s often little to help them tell what’s genuine from what’s simply well-packaged.

In the documentary, Joe faced criticism from other influencers claiming that he was “demonising food” and “fearmongering.” But as Chris van Tulleken argues, this isn’t about balance, it’s about redefining what counts as food. UPFs aren’t food, so moderation doesn’t apply. Food nourishes you; industrially engineered products manipulate you into wanting more.

Going Against the Grain

Joe knows that some fans will unfollow him. That’s part of the cost of public relations when tackling uncomfortable truths. But his willingness to risk brand awareness in pursuit of public health is what sets him apart.

“People might not like the way he’s going about it, but if you whisper, nobody hears you.”

That’s the heart of this digital marketing conversation: sometimes, to spark positive changes in consumer behaviour, you need a bold message.

The Regulatory Grey Area: Why “Healthy” Marketing Still Sells

On paper, the UK and EU have some of the world’s strictest rules around health and nutrition claims. In practice, the line between compliance and manipulation is still blurry, and we marketers operate right in that space.

Regulation (EC) 1924/2006 defines exactly what phrases like “no added sugar” or “source of protein” can mean. But how those words are presented, their prominence, placement, and pairing, is a creative decision. That’s where perception can be shaped and manipulated.

A single phrase can change the story of a product: “low fat” can sit alongside “indulgent taste,” or “natural flavouring” can headline a formulation that’s anything but. Technically compliant, strategically persuasive, but contextually misleading.

Front-of-pack systems like the traffic-light label were designed for transparency, yet in marketing they’ve become part of the design toolkit. Nutrient information is often treated as a visual prop, something to emphasise, mute, or reframe to align with brand identity. The system itself isn’t broken; it’s the storytelling around it that blurs clarity.

Meanwhile, the full HFSS (high fat, salt and sugar) advertising restrictions aren’t due to take full effect until January 2026. Until then, the digital advertising space remains largely self-regulated. Social platforms and influencer campaigns operate with fewer formal constraints than broadcast advertising, meaning much of the responsibility for ethical communication rests with individual brands, agencies, and creators.

That’s where the marketing challenge lies. Every image, caption and keyword carries weight, particularly when promoting food and drink. The opportunity isn’t just to stay compliant, but to show leadership: to be the brand that’s transparent, trustworthy, and ahead of the regulation curve.

It’s not only fast-food chains doing this. Everyday grocery brands and new “better-for-you” products all navigate the same tension between truth and aspiration. For marketers, that space between compliance and consumer understanding is where ethics, creativity, and reputation all meet.

Without more consistent standards or clearer online guidelines, consumers are left to decode these messages alone, guided more by branding and marketing than by evidence.

What the Evidence Means for Marketers

The conversation about food advertising isn’t only a public-health issue, it’s a marketing issue. The data reveals just how effectively storytelling drives consumer behaviour and brand perception.

People respond to cues, not content. Visual language and emotional tone outweigh the fine print. Health halos built through colour palettes, taglines and influencer voices can override rational decision-making.
Trust is fragile. When shoppers discover that a “healthy” product isn’t as nutritious as it appears, the loss of trust extends beyond one product. It can affect the entire brand category.
Clear communication changes behaviour. Evidence from Chile and Mexico shows that unambiguous labels, and equally clear marketing, reduce purchases of sugary drinks and calorie-dense snacks. Transparency works.
Children and young audiences are particularly impressionable. Limiting exposure to unhealthy food advertising during typical viewing times has led to measurable improvements in food choices. Responsible targeting is so important.
Digital ads amplify both risk and opportunity. Social media is now the dominant channel for food promotion, especially among younger audiences. Because it remains lightly regulated compared to TV or out-of-home advertising, it’s also where ethical leadership has the most impact.

At Bronco, we see this daily in our influencer marketing and content marketing work. Digital platforms give brands extraordinary reach, but also extraordinary responsibility. The most successful campaigns we have run are the ones that prioritise clarity, honesty and long-term trust over quick conversions.

The takeaway for marketers isn’t simply to avoid misleading tactics. It’s to reclaim the narrative. The same storytelling tools that once built health halos can now be used to build integrity, helping consumers make healthier choices for the right reasons and positioning brands as part of the solution, not the problem.

As AI-driven search evolves, our Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) service helps brands present transparent, accurate information online, ensuring that clarity and compliance aren’t just ethical choices, but competitive advantages.

Ethical Storytelling Lessons for Marketers

Marketers play a crucial role in shaping what the public sees as “healthy”. The challenge is finding the line between persuasion and deception. Here are practical, research-based important steps to help your marketing efforts stay ethical and effective.

Make Front-of-Pack Labelling Honest

Use nutrition labels as education, not camouflage. If your bar shows red for sugar, don’t hide it behind bright colours or tiny text. Treat the label as a sign of respect for your target audience.

Retire Vague Language

Drop “guilt-free” and “clean eating”. Be specific: grams of protein per serving, measurable health benefits, real nutritious food context. This transparency builds consumer trust faster than any influencer campaign.

Audit Health Claims

Cite every claim. Remove anything that isn’t backed by future research or existing systematic reviews. Compliance isn’t optional, it’s an effective strategy for brand longevity.

Use Influencers Responsibly

Creators amplify your message on social media platforms. Train them to talk about healthy food promotion rather than “miracle transformations”. This protects both your public relations and your audience’s overall health.

Build Brands on Real Food

If your product is industrially processed, consider reformulating. The fastest way to become a genuine healthy food brand is to make food people recognise. Highlight whole ingredients; cut additives where possible.

Embrace Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO)

As digital media evolves, AI search engines now surface facts, nutrition labels, and public health content automatically. Brands using clear, verified data will fare best. At Bronco, our Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) service helps you create transparent, AI-readable content that accurately reflects your values so that you can be responsible everywhere that your brand is visible.

Advertising and Packaging

Misleading food advertising doesn’t just happen in fast-food restaurants. It happens on every supermarket shelf. The biggest culprits include:

Claim stacking: small but numerous health claims that together imply wellness.
Serving-size manipulation: tiny “serving” definitions that turn red traffic lights into amber.
“Natural” aesthetics: craft paper packaging and handwritten fonts implying homemade quality.
Selective science: one nutrient highlighted (like protein) while sugar and additives stay hidden.
Influencer shortcuts: creators using aspirational lifestyle language to blur the lines between healthy food products and unhealthy foods.

Each tactic shapes consumer behaviour in ways regulators struggle to quantify. But we can change that, through honest content marketing, public relations, and transparent digital storytelling.

How Health Food Marketing Can Work Now

Here’s a short, actionable plan for food companies, healthy food brands and new brands entering the market:

Run a Health-Claim Audit – tie every statement to an authorised source.
Add a Processing Explainer – one sentence describing what happens between raw ingredient and product.
Show Portion Sizes Visually – photos of real portions improve consumer behaviour around overeating.
Reformulate – replace the additives in products like sugary drinks with healthier options and document the positive changes.
Test for Comprehension, Not Just Appeal – if consumers can’t explain your label, your design misleads.
Align Your Influencers – share CAP guidance, approve scripts, and track public health messaging.
Prepare for 2026 HFSS Rules – shift your focus from fast food-style impulse ads to healthy food promotion.
Use Bronco’s Expertise – our Influencer Marketing and Content Marketing & PR teams can help integrate compliance and creativity across campaigns.

Ingredients, Hazards and Headlines

The uproar around the KILLER bar wasn’t about one chemical, it was about trust. The use of aspartame, maltitol, and other sweeteners exposes how food companies hide complexity behind a “clean” label. The World Health Organization has urged future research into long-term safety, yet the same additives appear in snacks targeted at young children and the public who haven’t yet had the opportunity to be more informed.

As marketers, our responsibility is to interpret science honestly, not to spin it. If your marketing strategies rely on half-truths, the public will eventually catch up, and backlash spreads faster than any campaign.

Why This Matters: Building Trust in the Future Food Environment

The Killer bar story isn’t only about unhealthy foods; it’s about how the power of food marketing can shape national health outcomes. In countries where food insecurity meets constant exposure to energy-dense foods, fast-food restaurants and glossy “functional” bars, marketing determines what ends up in shopping baskets more than science does.

Joe Wicks’ documentary and Chris van Tulleken’s research have sparked a necessary reckoning. Governments can regulate. Academics can analyse. But digital marketers, people like us, sit at the decision point between consumer demand and brand narrative. We can choose to manipulate or to inform.

At Bronco, we stand by this messaging and believe the future of healthy food promotion lies in transparency, authenticity and education. Whether you’re launching new products, refreshing healthy food brands, or pivoting your messaging toward healthier choices, our job is to help you communicate clearly and responsibly.

Because marketing doesn’t just sell health food, it shapes behaviour, habits, and overall health.