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1. Introduction
Chandler’s quote from the US TV comedy “Friends” illustrates our cultural understanding of the relationship between food and mood, demonstrating that we often choose foods for emotional support and psychological comfort (Freeman and Gil, 2004) rather than for nutritional benefits alone (Marshall, 2005). Some foods such as coffee and chocolate are recognised as “feel-good fares”, but other foods can have a long-lasting influence on general mood and mental wellbeing (Cornah, 2006). There is now a growing body of scientific research linking food to mental health. A significant international study in 2009 identified a direct link between the consumption of a healthy diet and positive mental wellbeing (Akbaraly et al., 2009) and there is consistent evidence that an unhealthy diet is a “key modifiable risk factor” for some mental health disorders such as depression, anxiety and dementia (Jacka et al., 2014, p. 1) (our emphasis). With the annual cost of mental ill health in the UK estimated at £105 billion (Centre for Mental Health, 2010), there are calls for direct action to address mental health with nutrition-related policy and initiatives (Jacka et al., 2014) and for nutrition to become a factor in mental health promotion (McCulloch, 2006).
In recent years, the public have been well informed of the physiological health risks associated with a diet which is high in saturated fat, sugar and salt and low in fruit, fibre and fresh vegetables. There is much less public awareness of the effect of food on emotional wellbeing and mental health (Dunne, 2010). A National Opinion Poll survey of the public’s perception of the association between food and mood found that much of the UK public is unaware of the link between unhealthy food and mental health, and even more unaware of the impact of healthy foods on mood and feelings (Cornah, 2006). Communicating information to the public about foods that promote mental, emotional and physical wellbeing is therefore a key recommendation of the research by the Mental Health Foundation (Cornah, 2006).
The public derive their knowledge of food from a variety of sources including food advertising. Commercial advertising can contribute to consumer food knowledge and choice behaviour (Brennan et al., 2008) and communicate health messages more widely than typical public health messages...