Investigating the ‘halo effect’ of food claims

Description

Every day, we have to make lots of choices about what to eat, and thinking hard about each one would take too much time and effort. So, people naturally end up using ‘heuristics’ which are quick and easy ways to decide - even if these shortcuts might sometimes lead us to the wrong choice.

In our study, we investigated whether health-related messages on food packaging, such as nutrition claims (e.g. zero sugar and 0% fat), health claims (e.g. better gut health) and five-a-day claims, which are designed to help consumers make healthier food choices and eat a balanced diet, in fact have unintended consequences.

Specifically, the study investigates 'calorie illusion' - the common miscalculation in calorie content, influenced by various factors such as food labelling, health claims or the presence of healthy ingredients.

Further, the study examines the ‘halo effect’ – a phenomenon where the perception of the positive attribute of one food product overshadows the judgment of the overall meal leading consumers to perceive it as being more nutritious, healthier, or lower in calories than it actually is.

The study focuses on these systematic biases when people estimate the calorie content of combinations of healthy food such as vegetables and unhealthy foods such as junk food in a single meal.