Fuel Us Don’t Fool Us: Why A Youth Activism Group’s Fight Against Junk Food Deserves Our Attention

I’m normally oblivious to the adverts plastered around me during my London commute. But recently, one billboard stopped me in my tracks. It wasn’t trying to sell anything. Instead, it struck against junk food companies who would normally take up the space.

This was no ordinary ad, it was more of an anti-ad. It was created by Bite Back 2030, a youth-led activist movement calling out the junk food industry for prioritising profit over the health of their generation.

Who’s paying the price?

This striking campaign lands at a pretty charged moment. In 2024, food companies ramped up their ad spend by £420 million, a 26% year-on-year jump, while Brits bought 45.4 million more packs of crisps, cakes, and chocolate from the top-selling brands.

Bite Back’s team surveyed 859 billboard sites across Liverpool, Birmingham, Newcastle, and Southwark in London.

Nearly half were pushing junk food and soft drinks and a staggering 44% of high fat, salt, and sugar (HFSS) ads were concentrated in the most deprived areas compared to just 4% in the least deprived. These findings raised concerns in communities already experiencing greater health inequalities. 

They observed that brands were flooding the zone before long-awaited regulations finally landed. After five years of delays, a 9 pm watershed for junk food TV ads and a full online ban will be enforced from October 2025.

Industry voices have expressed concern about the financial impact of the changes, including potential shifts in ad spending overseas. But for young activists at Bite Back, the focus isn’t on marketing and margins, but on the health and long-term wellbeing of their generation.

Young People and The Advertising Landscape

The young demographic behind this activist campaign shouldn’t be overlooked. Gen Z and Gen Alpha are the most health-conscious generations yet. They’re hitting the gym in record numbers, are more likely than older cohorts to say they “always eat healthily,” and see health in all facets of life as an integral part of their identity.

But they don’t just care about health; they are deeply in touch with the ethics and values of those they purchase from. Around 90% of Gen Z say social issues influence their purchasing decisions, and 61% say company ethics matter just as much as salary when choosing a job. Junk food brands need to carefully consider how they resonate in this climate and how they will be held accountable.

This campaign from BiteBack isn’t just about junk food marketing. There’s also a broader fatigue brewing around advertising altogether. 

As their billboard message reads: "We’re giving kids a #CommercialBreak."

Recent studies show that over 30% of internet users now use ad blockers, and ironically, even advertisers themselves are losing faith with 66% of them using blockers too. This offers a moment of reflection for brands to reconsider how their ads are resonating with this generation and the broader messages they’re conveying.

In a cost-of-living crisis, this kind of purpose-led purchasing might seem unlikely but here they are, drawing a line in the sand.

A campaign that businesses should pay attention to

The advertising world is changing drastically as the newer generation comes in with their growing spenders and brands need to be prepared for scrutiny of their practices.

Junk food and retail sectors are under pressure, and the spotlight on food standards is only getting brighter. Just this week, Donald Trump reignited trade tensions by suggesting the UK drop its ban on chlorine-washed chicken in exchange for tariff relief, a proposal the UK government (thankfully) firmly rejected. Food safety, they insisted, isn’t up for negotiation.

Brands should take note. Younger generations are values-led and expect businesses to align with their priorities. It’s no longer just about visibility for brands, it’s about their principles, credibility, and long-term trust.

With ad fatigue on the rise, this campaign’s disruptive approach invites a rethink of strategies. In a time when people are switching off, how can brands show up in ways that feel relevant, responsible, and worth paying attention to?

Because increasingly, it's not just what you say; it's how, where, and why you're saying it.