Adam Ferrier urges schools to market healthy food like big brands: 'It must permeate culture'

If global food brands can use creativity and behavioural science to shape what kids eat, why can’t school tuckshops do the same?

That was the challenge laid down by Thinkerbell founder Adam Ferrier at Health and Wellbeing Queensland’s A Better Choice conference, where he made a compelling case for applying modern marketing techniques to elevate the tuckshop experience and drive healthier choices.

“Healthy food must permeate culture,” Ferrier told delegates. “If you call yourself something generic like good tucker or just the tuckshop, you’re on a hiding to nothing.”

Ferrier, known for blending scientific rigour with creative flair - or what he calls Measured Magic - argued that tuckshops are competing in a crowded marketplace.

To win attention, they need to behave like brands, with cachet, credibility and even influencers. He suggested schools tap into the power of peer influence, using student leaders and sporting club role models to promote healthier options.

“If student influencers can help shape what’s cool to eat, why not harness their influence for healthier choices?” he said.

Ferrier urged tuckshop operators to rethink their approach, starting with how healthy food is positioned. He said schools should treat healthy eating as part of popular culture, not just an alternative. That means embedding it into the school’s systems, language and social dynamics.

He also called for healthy options to be the default - easier to choose, more visible, and more accessible than less nutritious alternatives. And crucially, he said healthy food needs to be aspirational. Sushi, once niche, is now mainstream. Fruit and vegetables can follow suit — if marketed with the same creativity.

Small change, big impact

Zaisha Davey, a Year 12 student from Ferny Grove State High School, backed the approach.

“It’s not always easy to find healthy food when you’re buying meals outside the home. That’s why having good options at the school tuckshop makes a big difference,” she said.

Ferrier also highlighted the role of behavioural science, particularly choice architecture, the subtle design cues that influence decision-making. From menu layout to pricing and product placement, small changes can have a big impact.

“School tuckshops can’t outspend big brands,” he said. “But they can borrow from their playbook - using snackable carrots in vending machines or creating healthy food imagery that’s just as powerful.”

School tuckshops are a key part of the Queensland Government’s healthy food and drink supply strategy, which aims to ensure students have access to healthier food and drink options throughout their school day.