Food on the Move: The Impact of Implied Motion in Pictures on Food Perceptions through Anticipated Pleasure of Consumption

To tackle obesity, upgrading the image of healthy food is increasingly relevant. Rather than focusing on long-term benefits, an effective way to promote healthy food consumption through visual advertising is to increase its pleasure perception. We investigate whether implied motion, a popular trend in food pictures, affects food perceptions through anticipated consumption pleasure. Prior research shows that motion affects food perceptions, but these studies focused on limited food categories, using experiments with a single food stimulus, and mainly showing unhealthy food effects. Therefore, we aim to (1) replicate prior findings on the effects of food in motion on appeal, tastiness, healthiness, and freshness perceptions; (2) examine whether these effects differ for healthy and unhealthy food; and (3) investigate whether anticipated pleasure of consumption drives the effects of implied motion on food perceptions. Three between-subjects experiments (N = 626) reveal no evidence for the effectiveness of motion (vs. no motion) across a large variety of food products. We further show no differential effects for healthy versus unhealthy foods. Moreover, implied motion does not increase appeal or taste perceptions through anticipated pleasure. Considering the current replication crisis, these findings provide more nuanced insights into the effectiveness of motion in visual food advertising.

Tell me more and make me feel proud: the role of eco-labels and informational cues on consumers' food perceptions

PurposeThe objective of the present research is to identify the impact of food-related and packaging-related eco-labels on consumers' perceptions of food quality and safety when an ecological claim, which explains the eco-label meaning, is provided.Design/methodology/approachOne survey (N = 472) plus one experimental lab study were used to test the hypotheses drawn from the elaboration likelihood model. The research employed a 2 (eco-label: MSC vs FSC) × 2 (ecological claim: present vs absent) between-subjects design plus a control condition (i.e. absence of eco-label).FindingsWhen the ecological claim is absent, only food-related eco-labels were found to generate a higher food evaluation. However, when the ecological claim is present, both eco-label types (i.e. food-related and packaging-related) increased food perceptions of quality and safety because of higher feelings of pride.Originality/valueFrom a theoretical perspective, this research identifies both food- and packaging-related eco-labels as extrinsic cues able to affect consumers' perception of food quality and safety. Moreover, the findings of this study present practical implications for package design and health policymaking.

Elevating Food Perceptions Through Luxury Verbal Cues: An Eye-Tracking and Electrodermal Activity Experiment

Many brands, including food brands, draw on connotations of luxury to elevate the favorability of consumer perceptions. This is often undertaken using cues in marketing communications; however, no research has examined the psychophysiological effect of luxury cues on consumer attention. Evidently, this study is the first experiment to use eye-tracking and skin conductance analysis to investigate how luxury cues in marketing communications can influence consumer perceptions of a food product. Our findings demonstrate that the use of luxury verbal cues can significantly enhance the attention to hedonic processing and elevate food brand perceptions. Specifically, consumers pay greater attention to the imagery of marketing communications when exposed to luxury verbal cues, which, in turn, enhance arousal and positive brand evaluations. Our research provides valuable theoretical and managerial implications for food brands using communications such as content marketing and advertising to build favorable brand connotations and elevate brand positioning.

Developmental Changes in Food Perception and Preference

Food choices are a key determinant of dietary intake, with brain regions, such as the mesolimbic and prefrontal cortex maturing at differential rates into adulthood. More needs to be understood about developmental changes in healthy and unhealthy food perceptions and preference. We investigated how food perceptions and preference vary as a function of age and how food attributes (taste and health) impact age-related changes. One hundred thirty-nine participants (8–23 years, 60 females) completed computerized tasks to rate high-calorie and low-calorie food cues for taste, health, and liking (preference), followed by 100 binary food choices based on each participant’s ratings. Dietary self-control was considered successful when the healthier (vs. tastier) food was chosen. Self-control success ratio was the proportion of success trials over total number of choices. Beta-weights for health (β-health) and taste (β-taste) were calculated as each attribute’s influence on food preference. Adiposity measurements included BMI z-score and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR). High-calorie foods were rated more tasty and less healthy with increasing age. Older participants liked high-calorie foods more (vs. younger participants), and β-taste was associated with age. Significant age-by-WHtR interactions were observed for health and taste ratings of high-calorie foods, β-taste, and marginally for preference of high-calorie foods. Stratifying by WHtR (high, low), we found age-related increases in taste and preference ratings of high-calorie foods in the high WHtR group alone. In contrast, age-related decreases in health ratings of high-calorie foods were significant in the low WHtR group alone. Age and β-taste were significantly associated in the high WHtR group and only marginally significant with low WHtR. Although participants rated low-calorie foods as less tasty and less healthy with increasing age, there was no association between age and preference for low-calorie foods. Participants made faster food choices with increasing age regardless of WHtR, with a significant age-by-WHtR interaction on reaction time (RT). There were no age-related effects in self-control success ratio and β-health. These results suggest that individual differences in age and central adiposity play an important role in preference for high-calorie foods, and a higher importance of food tastiness in food choice may contribute to greater preference for high-calorie foods with increasing age.

Visual Design Cues Impacting Food Choice: A Review and Future Research Agenda

This review aims to tackle the challenge of understanding how visual design cues can affect behavioural outcomes in a food context. The review answers two key questions: (1) What are the effects of the most important visual design cues on behavioural outcomes and how can they be explained? (2) What are the research gaps in this area? We start from a comprehensive taxonomy of visual design cues delineating the most important visual design cues. Next, we evaluate the extant research based on a structured, narrative literature review on visual design cues in the food domain. We differentiate between object processed and spatially processed visual design cues in food choice contexts and show how they affect behavioural outcomes through a range of psychological processes (attention, affective-, cognitive- and motivational reactions, food perceptions and attitudes). We end with recommendations which take into account the current food store context, the state-of-art in measuring psychological processes and behavioural outcomes and the specific food-, person- and context-related moderators. This review offers guidance for research to untangle the complexity of the effect of visual design cues in a food choice context.

Generational Differences in Food Perception and the Risk of Chronic Disease Among Jamaican Immigrant Families Living in New York City

Objectives A Quarter of all US-based Jamaicans live in New York City (NYC) (N = 178,750). Compared to African Americans, Black Caribbeans experience lower rates of obesity (36% vs. 29%) and hypertension (38% vs 35%), but similar rates of diabetes (13% vs. 15%). Little is known about how diet and acculturation affect risk of chronic disease among Jamaican immigrants of different age groups. The aims of this study were to identify among three generations of Jamaicans living in NYC: a) how food experiences influence food perceptions and dietary behaviors; and b) how acculturation, social norms, socio-economic status and trans-national movements affect diet and risk of chronic disease. Methods Group and individual interviews with youth (n = 10), parents (n = 6) and grandparents (n = 8) used open-ended questions, were recorded and lasted 45 – 90 min. Participants received $20 gift cards as incentives. Recordings were transcribed, and analyzed using Dedoose 7.0. Results Three major themes emerged: Food perceptions and the concept of clean food impelled participants from all generations to consume a healthier diet consisting of more fresh fruits and vegetables and less processed foods. Among youth, remote acculturation to the US culture and global foods made it more acceptable to replace traditional home cooked foods with processed foods. Third, acculturation provided older Jamaican immigrants with easier access to healthcare and health education. The health advice provided by doctors, dietitians and other healthcare professionals was well respected and older Jamaicans reported high levels of compliance. Conclusions Among youth, early exposure to US culture and foods while living in Jamaica may increase future risk of chronic disease by making it more acceptable to replace cultural foods with American foods. Food perceptions and the concept of clean food play an important role in the way that Jamaicans of all ages think about, purchase and eat food. Truly valuing fruits and vegetables made adult Jamaican immigrants more receptive to health education and more likely to lower their risk of chronic disease. Funding Sources CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy, Dean's Dissertation Grant (Dissertation research support for author Horlyck-Romanovsky).

Evaluation of an Alimentary Education Intervention on School Canteen Waste at a Primary School in Bari, Italy

The “Love Food, Not Waste” project was conducted to train students on good food choices and evaluate food waste in school canteens. Teachers, parents and students were surveyed before and after training. Weights of both the served and wasted food were recorded for one week both before the educational intervention in February 2019 and after the educational intervention in March 2019, using the same menu. Students completed a food satisfaction questionnaire on the days the data were collected. For the first dish, the mean wastes per school were 1199 g before training and 1054 g after training. For the second dish, the mean wastes per school were 246 g before training and 220 g after training. For the side course, the means wastes per school were 663 g before training and 747 g after training. The results did not significantly differ among weeks or schools. Less food was wasted when boys judged the food’s general aspects like smell, taste and appearance as positive; more food was wasted when girls judged these factors as negative. Food waste monitoring is mandatory but does not always occur. Analyzing food waste relative to students’ food perceptions can help determine whether educational interventions can help reduce waste. Students’ satisfaction must also be considered.

Fats are Glossy but Does Glossiness Imply Fatness? The Influence of Packaging Glossiness on Food Perceptions

This research brings together two research streams, one focusing on the influence of a diverse set of packaging attributes (e.g., shape, size, color, etc.) on perceptions of packaged food and the second one on the up- and downsides of using glossy materials, which are often studied in a non-food context. The current research deals with the influence of glossy (versus matte) food packages on consumers’ perceptions of the food inside the package. With one online survey and one quasi-experiment, we show that consumers draw inferences on the food’s fat level from the package surface, in that glossy packages are seen as a signal of fatness. This association is specific; consumers do not associate glossiness with every unhealthy product aspect. Sugar levels are unaffected by the package surface. However, due to the higher inferred fat level, a product in a glossy package is perceived to be less healthy, less tasty, and low in quality and product expensiveness. Thus, these findings suggest that glossy (versus matte) food packages mainly serve as a signal of negative product qualities.