3.5 Encouraging behavioural change

Several strategies have been put forward by the UK government to encourage health-related behavioural changes, and some of these include placing restrictions on industry as follows.

• Promoting healthy eating: regulations governing food-based standards for school lunches (introduced in 2006) ban economy burgers from school lunches, deep-fried products such as chips are limited to twice a week, and chocolate, crisps and sweetened fizzy drinks can no longer be part of school lunches (Department of Health, 2012). However, since these regulations were introduced, childhood obesity has continued to increase.
• Clear nutrition labelling: in the UK, 80 per cent of pre-packaged food carries nutritional information on the front of the packaging. Placing this nutrition information in a prominent place is key to consumers using it in order to make healthier choices (Department of Health and Social Care, 2020).
• Restrictions on food advertising: the government is restricting access to television advertising for ‘unhealthy’ eating choices, which can only be shown beyond the 9pm watershed (Department of Health and Social Care, 2022).
• In Scotland, the First National Good Food Nation Plan (Scottish Government, 2025) sets out a vision for a healthier, fairer and more sustainable food system in Scotland. The plan recognises that poor diet, obesity and food insecurity are influenced by wider social, economic and environmental factors rather than individual choices alone. It aims to create food environments that make healthy and nutritious food more accessible and affordable for everyone. In relation to obesity, the plan supports actions to improve diet, reduce health inequalities and encourage healthier lifestyles across the population. Achieving these goals requires collaboration between government, industry, communities and the wider food sector to improve health outcomes and build a more resilient food system

In addition to these government-endorsed strategies, what else can be done to influence behaviour and encourage behavioural change? Behaviour is seen as comprising the interaction of two systems. On the one hand a ‘reflective system’, which emphasises our values, and on the other an ‘automatic system’, where we are not aware of the impulses behind our behaviour (Marteau, no date, quoted in Parliament. House of Lords, 2011, pp. 16–17).

One method of changing behaviour is called ‘nudge theory’ (Thaler and Sunstein, 2009). Annaliese Arno and Steve Thomas (2016) consider nudge theory to be a collection of methods, deemed to be ‘nudges’, that have the potential for low-cost and broad application to guide healthier lifestyle choices. Examples include nutrition information being added to menus in a restaurant so that diners can establish how many calories are in a meal (nudging them towards healthier options) and increasing the availability of healthier options in supermarkets (nudging consumers towards selecting healthy food options).