Investigating the role of health halos and reactance in ice cream choice

Nutrition labels, sensory experience, and consumers’ preconceived notions about products can affect their purchasing and eating decisions. The proliferation of low-calorie and vegan ice creams in supermarkets provides an interesting test-case for how health, general liking, and psychological factors like halo effects and reactance contribute to product choice. In our study, 223 participants tasted three cinnamon-bun flavored ice cream samples: super-premium, vegan, and low-calorie. Participants were assigned to one of three conditions. Condition one received no information about the three ice creams. Condition two received photos of the product containers, the ingredients, and the nutrition labels. Condition three received the same product information as condition two, along with a warning about the health consequences of eating too much sugar and fat. After tasting each sample, participants rated how much they liked the sample and its perceived healthfulness, and then indicated the sample they preferred overall. Participants in all conditions believed that the vegan ice cream was healthier than the super-premium ice cream, providing evidence of a health halo effect. Participants ranked the super-premium ice cream as tasting the best across all conditions. Liking rating was the strongest predictor of overall ice cream preference as indicated by participants’ preferred ice cream being the super-premium. The research findings have implications for nutrition educators and marketers, reinforcing that liking is a large driver of product choice, that health halos around vegan products exist, and that a text health warning does not dissuade people from choosing an indulgent option.     

国际食品标签标准的演变及其在国际贸易中的意义

通过介绍国际食品标签标准的主要内容、制定及演变过程 ,分析不同历史阶段中食品标签在保护消费者利益、促进食品贸易公平方面发挥的重要作用 ,以及社会、经济、科技发展水平和文化背景等因素对其的影响。阐明在WTO贸易规则下食品标签在国际食品贸易中的现实意义。     

The impact of sugar-related claims on perceived healthfulness,caloric value and expected taste of food products

Food packaging usually includes multiple cues, including claims about nutrients that may modulate how the consumer perceives (and behaves towards) the product. In the current work, we systematically examined how different types of claims about sugar influenced the perception of food product categories (i.e., yogurts, ice creams, cookies, and breakfast cereals). In two experiments (combined n = 406), participants were asked to evaluate the perceived healthfulness, caloric value, and expected taste of products with (vs. without) sugar-related claims. Specifically, the claims were on the sugar content (“0% sugar”, “sugar-free”, “no added sugars”, “low sugar” - Experiment 1) or on the type of sugars or sweeteners of natural origin (“sucrose”, “cane sugar”, “honey” and “stevia” - Experiment 2).Experiment 1 revealed that all products with sugar-related claims were rated as healthier, less caloric, and less tasty than the regular alternatives. Still, products with the “low sugar” claim were perceived as the least healthy, most caloric, and tastiest. In Experiment 2, we observed that products with “stevia” claim were rated as healthier, less caloric, and less tasty than regular products. In both experiments, the frequency of consumption of products with sugar-related claims was positively associated with the general perception of these products, the influence of nutritional information on consumption decisions, attention to sugar intake, and interest in nutrition.Overall, our results show that sugar-related claims may influence consumer's perceptions about food products, but the direction of that influence depends on the type of claim and evaluative dimension.     

The role of organic and fair trade labels when choosing chocolate

We investigate to what extent consumers base food purchases on the information implied by the presence of a label. Firstly, we study whether consumers are able to identify the environmental and social labels associated with a particular good or service. Secondly, we analyze whether consumers find the product information implied by the presence of a label trustworthy. Thirdly, we examine the desirability, including taste, of sustainably produced goods compared to conventional goods. Fourthly we calculate consumers’ marginal willingness to pay for environment-friendly and socially desirable goods, and finally, we identify groups of consumers with different preference patterns. Specifically, we performed a survey including a stated choice experiment of consumer decisions concerning the purchase of chocolate in Flanders (Belgium), focusing on fair trade and organic labels. Overall, we find that fair trade labels for chocolate are more likely to influence consumer choice than organic labels in Flanders. For most of the consumers the organic label seems to become superfluous when selecting a self-indulgent treat such as chocolate.     

食品标签上食品添加剂的标注

在明确食品添加剂的概念、范围的基础上,通过列举食品添加剂标注的相关法律、标准的规定,分析了食品添加剂标注中存在的问题,同时探讨了食品添加剂＂引入原则＂的涵义和使用,并举例说明如何在标签上规范标注食品添加剂。     

Correlates of food consumption and perceptions of foods in an educated urban population in Ukraine

Taste, health and cost perceptions, and frequency of consumption of 34 food items, characteristic of the Ukrainian diet and representing the major food groups, were examined in 919 educated urban Ukrainian subjects (303 males and 616 females, ages 18–60). There were differences in food perception and consumption patterns according to gender. Although these findings parallel those obtained in Western populations, there were notable differences. For example, whole milk and butter were considered healthier than skimmed milk and margarine. While taste perceptions were highly correlated with consumption of most foods, cost affected consumption of fruits, sweets and some meats. Taste and health perceptions were intercorrelated, and usually not related to cost perceptions. Health perceptions had the least effect on consumption. This study provides insight into predictors of food choice, and has implications for developing nutrition policy and nutrition interventions in the Commonwealth of Independent States.     

Eating in the dark: A dissociation between perceived and actual food consumption

Objective: According to folk intuition “Eye appeal is half the meal,” raising the question how the absence of vision or ‘visual flavor’ affects food perception, willingness to buy, and food intake. Method: In the present experiment, ninety students were assigned to either a blindfolded or a non-blindfolded condition and completed a bogus ice cream taste test. Taste perceptions and purchase willingness were assessed during tasting, and actual and perceived intake, afterward. Results: Blindfolded participants rated the ice cream lower on hedonic but higher on ambiguity taste attributes. Although eating without vision led to a lower purchase willingness and a 9% decrease in the actual intake, blindfolded participants overestimated their intake by 88% while non-blindfolded overestimated their intake only by 35%. Conclusions: Thus, depriving participants of visual input dissociated perceived intake from actual intake. Shifting attention toward interoceptive cues of eating may provide unobtrusive and naturalistic means to change eating experiences.     

国外标签法规对我国食品出口的影响分析

近年来,各国不断制订和更新与食品标签有关的强制性法规,内容涉及愈加广泛、标注细节愈加严格,对食品中特定成分、营养健康、视觉效果等方面的要求更高。国外与国内食品标签技术法规的差异已形成了贸易壁垒,影响了食品的进出口贸易。据统计,美国、欧盟、日本等国家通报我国出口食品不合格信息中,2010年以前标签不合格率约占5%,而2013年至2016年连续4年标签不合格率都在11%以上,出口食品因标签不合格被国外通报的案例逐年增多。本文就此现象以及国外标签法规的制修订状况进行分析,罗列我国出口食品企业因国外标签法规的制修订而面临的困境并提出相关建议。     

Meaning of food and consumer eating behaviors

Prior research suggests that food is embedded in a system of meanings. Yet, little is known about how the different meanings people attribute to food affect their food consumption behavior. Results of a nationally representative survey in Austria reveal how food meanings (sacred, moral, health, social, and aesthetic, assessed with the Meaning of Food in Life Questionnaire) relate to a wide range of food consumption patterns (health-conscious, discerning, indulgent, and functional). First, health-conscious eating behaviors (e.g., following a healthy diet, frequent consumption of fruits and vegetables, buying seasonal and regional foods, cooking, following medical recommendations about nutrition) were driven by the social and moral meanings of food. Second, discerning eating behaviors (e.g., buying organic products, shopping at small stores or local markets, avoiding meat products, prioritizing quality over quantity) were predicted by the moral meaning of food. Third, indulgent eating behaviors (e.g., consuming salty and sweet snacks and ready-made meals, eating on the go, overeating) were driven by the aesthetic meaning of food and a lowered importance of the health meaning of food. Finally, functional eating behaviors (e.g., consuming functional foods such as dietary supplements, enriched foods or “light” products, paying attention to food labels, buying groceries with a shopping list, buying groceries online) were driven by the sacred meaning of food and a lowered appreciation of the aesthetic meaning of food. Taken together, these findings suggest that food meaning can serve as a useful framework to understand different patterns of food consumption, generate novel insights and provide actionable recommendations.     

Families’ use of nutritional information on food labels

How interested and competent are families in fact when using nutritional information on food labels? By means of ethnographical methodologies 12 families with children aged 9–13 were monitored when shopping for food and in their own home when cooking and eating dinner in order to explore their use of nutritional information on food labels and the problems they experience. Later, 300 parents participated in a hall test, the purpose being to investigate the relation between the problems and use of as well as the problems and preference for nutritional labelling. Children use nutritional information rarely or not at all. Parents seldom use nutritional information when they seem to sense an overflow of information, information that is too technical and a problematic presentation of energy distribution, and/or when their health consciousness is limited. Having to deal with information overflow, technical information and energy distribution makes parents more likely to prefer food labels with concise information and more visual aspects.     

Effects of the perception of traceable fresh food safety and nutrition on perceived health benefits,affective commitment,and repurchase intention

Because numerous food safety problems have gained public attention, consumers are now focused on food safety and nutrition as well as health benefits. While traceability is considered the most effective intervention to ensure food safety, understanding how to encourage consumers to purchase traceable fresh food (TFF) is crucial in developing the safe food market. A questionnaire survey was conducted in Taiwan to explore the effects of the perception of TFF safety and nutrition on perceived health benefits, affective commitment, and repurchase intention. TFF consumers, defined as those who had purchased TFF in the past three months, were asked to participate in the study; in total, 393 valid questionnaires were collected. Results of structural equation modeling analysis indicated that consumers’ TFF safety and nutrition perception affected their health benefit perceptions, which consequently influenced their affective commitment to TFF and repurchase intentions. These findings explain how TFF repurchase intentions are influenced by TFF safety and nutrition perception and health benefit perceptions. This paper provides some practical suggestions for TFF marketers to increase TFF consumption.     

The combined effect of front-of-pack nutrition labels and health claims on consumers’ evaluation of food products

The majority of studies examining the effect of nutrition information on food packets (such as the nutrition information panel (NIP), front-of-pack labels (FoPLs) and health claims) have examined each in isolation, even though they often occur together. This study investigated the relationship between FoPLs and health claims since (i) they both appear on the front of packs and typically receive more attention from consumers than the NIP, (ii) they can convey contradictory messages (i.e., health claims provide information on nutrients that are beneficial to health while FoPLs provide information on nutrients associated with increased health risks) and (iii) there is currently scant research on how consumers trade off between these two sources of information. Ten focus groups (n = 85) explored adults’ and children’s reactions when presented with both a FoPL (the Daily Intake Guide, Multiple Traffic Lights, or the Health Star Rating) and a health claim (nutrient content, general-level-, or high-level). A particular focus was participants’ processing of discrepant information. Participants reported that health claims were more likely to be considered during product evaluations if they were perceived to be trustworthy, relevant and informative. Trust and ease of interpretation were most important for FoPLs, which were more likely than health claims to meet criteria and be considered during product evaluation (especially the Health Star Rating and Multiple Traffic Lights). Results indicate that consumers generally find FoPLs more useful than health claims.     

The adaptive eater: Perceived healthiness moderates the effect of the color red on consumption

Previous studies suggest that the color red reduces food intake because it signals danger and hence acts as a consumption-stopping cue. We demonstrate that this effect cannot be generalized to just any kind of food. Consequently, we show that the color red—despite eliciting similar associations—affects behavior more strongly with regard to unhealthy (potentially harmful) food compared to healthy food. Specifically, the color red more strongly influenced the amount of unhealthy food intake (Study 1) and the choice of unhealthy food options (Study 2) compared to healthy food. Study 2 further demonstrated that the impact of color on behavior decreases gradually as food options become healthier. Moreover, the effect can be observed for subtle (Study 1) as well as salient (Study 2) color cues. These results suggest that consumers do not react in a generalized but in an adaptive way to the color red.     

我国常见包装食品营养成分标识的现状分析

为了解我国常见包装食品标签上标识值与检验值的符合情况并为标识数据的引用提供参考依据 ,调查了 10类 378种包装食品 ,共有 14 9种食品有营养成分标识 ,对这 14 9种标识的食品成分应用图标法或AOAC法进行一一对应的成分分析。同时参照GB 10 76 5～ 10 76 7— 1997《婴幼儿食品》中检验规则规定的允许误差范围判断 14 9种食品。成分标识值与检验值的总符合率为 6 7 1%,国内外品牌食品的符合率无统计学上的差异显著性。结果说明 ,大多数食品的标识值是可信的 ,可以为扩充国家食物成分数据来源提供有价值的参考资料     

食品污染物监测及其健康影响评价的研究简介

为保障食品安全，“食品污染物监测及其健康影响评价的研究”被列入国家科技部“十五”攻关课题。主要研究内容为食品污染物分析质量控制研究；污染物(包括金属污染物，农药残留)监测技术研究；建立有害物质暴露危险性评估技术；生物学标志物研究。研究完成后，建立了我国与国际接轨的污染物监测网框架，提出了我国食品污染物监测分析质量控制评价原则，提高了我国污染物监测水平。绘制了我国食品污染物基本状况表。我国食品中重金属污染主要是铅污染，各年龄段铅的摄入量偏高，特别是儿童已经达到PTWI的105．6％～109．7％。说明我国食品中铅的含量偏高，应该修订国家标准。镉污染主要在鱼类，全国平均值超过国家标准，其中河南省淡水鱼的镉平均值是国家标准的近3倍，其他食品镉的污染不严重。砷、汞在食品中的污染不严重。成功地以总膳食研究为手段进行膳食暴露评估。在国际上首先建立了反映人体微量氯丙醇暴露的8—氯乳酸的痕量检测技术，并作为理想的接触标志物用于人体氯丙醇的暴露评价；初步建立了以监测母乳中二噁英负荷水平作为接触标志物和生殖内分泌指标作为效应标志物的体系；应用人胚肾LH／CG受体重组细胞株生物发光法测定血清中的BCG。研制出监测网研制数据上报系统计算机软件。该研究对保障食品安全提供了方法和科学依据。     

Sushi at the beach: Effects of congruent and incongruent immersive contexts on food evaluations

Prior research using immersive technology has shown that consumption contexts can be successfully recreated to elicit effects on hedonic food evaluations, but the food-specificity of these effects is as of yet unclear. The current study investigates how repeated exposure to foods in congruent and incongruent immersive contexts affects hedonic perception over time. Two groups of participants (N = 23, N = 18) were exposed to three food products (sushi, popsicle and iced tea) in either an immersive beach context or an immersive sushi restaurant context for seven days. On the eighth day, participants were exposed to the same foods once more, but switched to the other context. Hedonic evaluations were collected prior to and during tasting at initial exposure (day 1), after repeated exposure to the same context (day 7) and in the switched context (day 8); consumption behavior was monitored on exposure days (days 2–6). Results showed that prior to tasting, expected liking and desire to eat were higher for congruent food-context combinations (popsicle at the beach, sushi in the sushi restaurant) than for incongruent combinations (popsicle in the sushi restaurant, sushi at the beach). Upon tasting, no differences were found in average food liking, but individual liking ratings for congruent (vs. incongruent) food-context combinations were more consistent over time. Immersive contexts also elicited general effects, such that a typical consumption environment (sushi restaurant) increased food consumption and yielded more consistent product liking ratings over time. Findings underline the importance of taking a holistic view on consumer testing, and showcase the potential of immersive technology.     

食品安全卫生与植物卫生特别贸易关注分析与推动解决的建议

目的分析世界贸易组织(WTO)食品安全相关卫生与植物卫生(SPS)特别贸易关注,为推进关注解决提供建议。方法翻译分析1995—2016年WTO/SPS信息管理系统中具体的特别贸易关注资料、历年SPS特别贸易关注报告、SPS措施通报以及WTO关于SPS会议的报道,从关注数量、涉及成员、关注热点领域等方面,对WTO食品安全SPS特别贸易关注进行统计和描述分析。结果历年食品安全SPS特别贸易关注数量呈不规律变化;虽然发达和发展中成员均注重特别贸易关注机制的运用,但关注成员仍具有高度集中特点;农产品是关注的重点大类产品,进口限制、限量要求和动植物检验检疫措施是关注热点措施;SPS措施与国际标准的协调性及其科学性是争议焦点。结论特别贸易关注是解决国际贸易摩擦的有效机制之一。鉴于国际标准组织的地位以及关注解决实践,加强国际标准化建设,提升国际标准化组织活动话语权,争取多边合作,保持特别贸易关注的热度对于推动关注的解决具有重要意义。     

国内外食品标签声称基本用语规范性法规标准体系介绍

世界各国对于食品标签声称基本用语的规范都不尽相同,本文主要概述了国内外食品标签声称用语规范和食品标签声称规范体系,并对我国食品标签声称用语标准规范进行了梳理,与其他各国在规范内容和体系上进行了比较.     

食品过敏原标签要求及生产过程控制初探

食品过敏已成为世界关注的重大公共卫生学和食品安全问题。食品过敏原是引起食品过敏的直接诱因,具有耐加工和交叉反应的特性。国际食品法典委员会(Codex Alimentarius Commission,CAC)规定了必须在食品标签中标注的8种可能引起过敏反应的食品及其配料,包括含有麸质的谷类、甲壳动物及其制品、鸡蛋及其制品、鱼类及其制品、花生、大豆及其制品、奶和奶制品(包括乳糖)、坚果及其制品、浓度不低于10 mg/kg的亚硫酸盐。欧盟、美国、日本、澳大利亚和新西兰等已根据国际食品法典委员会对过敏原的要求出台强制性标识食品过敏原的法规,这在一定程度上对我国出口食品企业造成了影响。本文通过对比CAC以及欧盟、中国、美国、日本、澳大利亚和新西兰等地有关过敏原标签的要求,提醒出口食品加工企业减少因标签不合格造成的经济损失,并为其在生产加工过程中过敏原的控制提出建议。     

Facing a trend of brand logo simplicity: The impact of brand logo design on consumption

Research has shown that the experience of fluency influences buying intentions of food products, but no study has examined how brand logos transferring a feeling of fluency might impact actual food intake. In two experiments, we assess how exposure to simple versus complex brand logos impacts food consumption. Study 1 shows that individuals consume more from a product which features a simple, flat logo compared to a product that features a complex, non-flat logo. Study 2 depicts the nature of the product as an important moderator in this effect: while for non-prestigious products simple brand logos increase consumption, the opposite occurs for prestigious food products. Overall, while the tenet of the findings is consistent with earlier work on fluency effects within the food domain, this research provides evidence that brand logo design has the potential to impact actual food intake.