inspiring canadians to live better.

healthing leaf

inspiring canadians to live better.

healthing leaf
mosquito-borne diseases affect up to 700 million people each year. learn more
powered by: valneva canada inc.

study finds that the messages on food packages influence our taste

we're more inclined to like food labeled 'new and improved' — not thinking much about the taste.

by maija kappler

jan 28 2022
read time 2 minute read
join the conversation
we're more likely to like food labeled 'new and improved,' doesn't matter how it tastes
perhaps consumers need to learn more about how to interpret the way that food is packaged and sold. getty

it turns out we may be a little more susceptible to advertising than we thought: a new study from ohio state university found that a surprising number of people unconsciously internalize the packaging on food labels.

in the study, 120 people aged 18 to 70 were given two samples of either saltine crackers or chocolate chip cookies. they were told that they were evaluating either a typical sample from a major supplier, a sample of a new and improved version, or a sample of a version that had received customer complaints, although each sample was in fact identical. they indicated how they felt after each bite on a nine-point scale, marking their preferences from “dislike extremely” to “like extremely.” they were also asked to rate additional attributes, like freshness or crispness, as positive or negative.
the researchers found the food’s labels had a major influence on how consumers thought about them: people rated the foods labeled “new and improved” as significantly better than the ones marked “factory typical” or “consumer complaint.” (the “consumer complaint” saltines, specifically, were given a very low rating.) they also rated the “complaint” foods with fewer positive qualities and more negative ones.

related stories

made a new year's resolution to be greener? the kitchen might be a good place to start
eastern europe is estimated to create the least amount of food waste per person, while western asia is estimated to be the biggest waster of food — canada sits in the middle.
upcycling foods ranges from using food we think looks imperfect to making use of by-product we think of as waste. getty

watch: i drank #procoffee and here's how my workout went
workout aficionados are mixing coffee with protein shakes for a pre-workout boost, but experts say this isn’t as good an idea as you may think.
turns out coffee and protein powder don't taste amazing, and there wasn't any real difference to workout quality. getty

advertisement

one significant finding was that the negative messages appeared to hold more sway than the positive ones.

“with the negative contextualized messaging, there were more negative attributes selected — people didn’t like it as much, it wasn’t as fresh. people had a more negative opinion of it,” senior study author christopher simons told the university’s news outlet . “the positive messaging slanted toward being more positive, but not nearly as much.”

what that means for advertising, then, is that consumers should be less suspicious of positive claims than the conspicuous absence of negative ones.
brands “get a bigger bang for [their] buck by removing things people find negative than you do by optimizing those positive attributes,” simons said. “take care of the negatives first and you’re probably going to have a more successful product.”
and perhaps consumers need to learn more about how to interpret the way that food is packaged and sold.

a 2016 study found that the general population needed more training on how to understand food labels. “in order to induce the whole population to use food labels as an effective self-protection tool, more efforts should be done to improve their knowledge on nutrition fundamentals and basics about food labeling, because that would make them able to take safer and more conscious choices as regards their own health,” the study said.

powered by
canadian society for exercise physiology

advertisement

maija kappler is a reporter and editor at healthing. you can reach her at mkappler@postmedia.com
don’t miss a thing: sign-up for healthing’s newsletter
thank you for your support. if you liked this story, please send it to a friend. every share counts. 

comments

postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion and encourage all readers to share their views on our articles. comments may take up to an hour for moderation before appearing on the site. we ask you to keep your comments relevant and respectful. we have enabled email notifications—you will now receive an email if you receive a reply to your comment, there is an update to a comment thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. visit our community guidelines for more information and details on how to adjust your email settings.

you may also like
group of young female athlete doing warm up exercises during sports training at health club. focus is on happy woman in black.
international self-care day: are you practicing authentic self-care?
happy mother and daughter eat pizza in a cafe and having fun.
study links ultra-processed foods to increased risk of stroke and cognitive decline 
doctor holding red heart. selective focus, man's hands in close-up. concept of good health, cardiovascular diseases prevention, healthy lifestyle promotion, human organ donation, implantation
gut health and heart disease: study shows bacteria impacts cholesterol and cardiovascular health
woman choosing frozen food from a supermarket freezer
listeria 101: breaking down causes, spotting symptoms and preventing listeriosis
senior couple shopping vegetables and fruits on the market. healthy diet.
healthy eating and older adults: solutions to common challenges
you may also like
group of young female athlete doing warm up exercises during sports training at health club. focus is on happy woman in black.
international self-care day: are you practicing authentic self-care?
happy mother and daughter eat pizza in a cafe and having fun.
study links ultra-processed foods to increased risk of stroke and cognitive decline 
doctor holding red heart. selective focus, man's hands in close-up. concept of good health, cardiovascular diseases prevention, healthy lifestyle promotion, human organ donation, implantation
gut health and heart disease: study shows bacteria impacts cholesterol and cardiovascular health
woman choosing frozen food from a supermarket freezer
listeria 101: breaking down causes, spotting symptoms and preventing listeriosis
you may also like
group of young female athlete doing warm up exercises during sports training at health club. focus is on happy woman in black.
international self-care day: are you practicing authentic self-care?
happy mother and daughter eat pizza in a cafe and having fun.
study links ultra-processed foods to increased risk of stroke and cognitive decline