There have been calls for restrictions on junk food advertising to tackle rising rates of obesity around the world. This column examines the likely effect of a ban on potato crisp advertising. Results suggest that the total quantity of crisps sold would fall by around 15% in the presence of a ban, or by 10% if firms respond with price cuts. The welfare benefits from this would depend on whether current advertising is persuasive, informative or complementary.
Authors
CPP Co-Director, IFS Research Director
Rachel is Research Director and Professor at the University of Manchester. She was made a Dame for services to economic policy and education in 2021.
Research Fellow Toulouse School of Economics
Pierre is a Research Fellow at the IFS, a Professor of Economics at the Toulouse School of Economics and a co-editor of the JEEA.
Research Fellow University of Wisconsin
Martin, previously Deputy Research Director, is a Research Fellow at IFS and Professor of Economics at the University of Wisconsin.
Report details
- Publisher
- VoxEU
Suggested citation
P, Dubois and R, Griffith and M, O'Connell. (2017). The effects of banning advertising in junk food markets. London: VoxEU. Available at: https://ifs.org.uk/publications/effects-banning-advertising-junk-food-markets (accessed: 29 April 2024).
Grant
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