A red code triggers an unintended approach motivation toward sweet ultra-processed foods: Possible implications for front-of-pack labels

Lemos, Thayane C.; Almo, André; Campagnoli, Rafaela R.; Pereira, Mirtes Garcia; Oliveira, Letícia; Volchan, Eliane; Krutman, Laura; Delgado, R.; Fernández‐Santaella, M. Carmen; David, Isabel A.

doi:10.1016/j.foodqual.2019.103784

Cited by 21 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 65 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…A well-established method for measuring emotional responses to affective pictures is the Self-Assessment Manikin scale, a non-verbal pictorial technique that makes the rating very intuitive, requiring little explanation ( 34 , 35 ). In addition, reports of affective experiences using the Self-Assessment Manikin scale correlate with physiological responses (such as bradycardia or tachycardia, sweating, and contraction or relaxation of the facial muscles) to emotional stimuli providing, to some extent, information about implicit motivational responses ( 25 , 36 , 37 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ultra-Processed Foods Elicit Higher Approach Motivation Than Unprocessed and Minimally Processed Foods

Lemos

Coutinho

Silva

et al. 2022

Front. Public Health

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundUltra-processed foods (UPF) are becoming extensively available in the food environments. UPF are industrial formulations that are designed to maximize palatability and consumption through a combination of calorie-dense ingredients and chemical additives. UPFs are also aggressively marketed, which may make them more attractive than unprocessed/minimally processed foods (UMPF). Since consumers' purchase decisions are guided by food-evoked emotions, we aimed to provide evidence that UPF visual cues trigger higher emotional responses and approach motivation than UMPF visual cues, with potential impacts on individuals' intention to consume the UPF over the UMPF.MethodsParticipants (n = 174; 144 women; mean age = 20.7 years; standard deviation = 4.35) performed two tasks. In the first task, 16 pictures of foods (8 UPF and 8 UMPF), and 74 pictures from other affective categories, were presented. After viewing each picture, the participants rated it along two basic dimensions of emotion through the Self-Assessment Manikin scale: pleasantness and arousal. In the second task, the participants viewed the same food pictures, and they rated their intention to consume the foods depicted in the pictures. Each picture was plotted in terms of its mean pleasantness and arousal ratings in a Cartesian plane, which resulted in an affective space.ResultsPictures of UPF and UMPF were positioned in the upper arm of the boomerang-shaped affective space that represents approach motivation. Pictures containing UPF triggered higher approach motivation and intention to consume than pictures containing UMPF. We also found a stronger association between emotional responses and intention to consume UPF relative to UMPF.ConclusionThese results shed new light on the role of ultra-processed foods evoked emotions that contribute to less healthy and sustainable food environments.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ultra-Processed Foods Elicit Higher Approach Motivation Than Unprocessed and Minimally Processed Foods

Lemos

Coutinho

Silva

et al. 2022

Front. Public Health

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Food product evaluations are usually based on inferences that consumers draw from their understanding and interpretation of informational cues on packages [16] as well as from their attractiveness [17][18][19]. Numerous studies conducted by marketing researchers have established the influence of packaging information related to various product characteristics on consumer product evaluation and purchase behavior, notably information that relates to nutrition and health (e.g., labels, claims) [19][20][21][22][23], ingredients [16,[24][25][26][27][28], processing methods [29][30][31], organic content and sustainability [32][33][34], and fair trade [35].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Impact of Responsible Food Packaging Perceptions on Naturalness and Healthiness Inferences, and Consumer Buying Intentions

d’Astous

Labrecque

2021

Foods

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The research presented in this article examines the relationship between consumer perceptions that a food package is responsible (sustainable) and consumers’ intention to purchase the product that it contains. On the basis of the relevant literature, a conceptual model is proposed where this relationship is hypothesized to be mediated by two variables: the product’s perceived naturalness and healthiness. A first study was conducted with the objective of developing a scale with good psychometric properties to measure the perceived naturalness of a food product. The objective of the second study was to test the validity of the two-mediator conceptual model. The results show that the extent to which a food product package is seen as responsible (i.e., recyclable, reusable, compostable) has a positive and statistically significant impact on consumers’ intention to buy it, and that it is through the sequential mediation of the product’s perceived naturalness and healthiness that this relationship unfolds.

show abstract

“…The red-sweetness association seems to be stronger for drinks compared to solid foods. Lemos et al [32] presented colored prime stimuli (red, green, amber cycles) that were followed by an image of a salty or sweet food item. The seven sweet food items used in this experiment were, on average, rated as more positive (hedonic valence) after the presentation of a red cycle compared to a green cycle.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Color Nutrition Information Paradox: Effects of Suggested Sugar Content on Food Cue Reactivity in Healthy Young Women

2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Color nutrition information (CNI) based on a traffic light system conveys information about food quality with a glance. The color red typically indicates detrimental food characteristics (e.g., very high sugar content) and aims at inhibiting food shopping and consumption. Red may, however, also elicit cross-modal associations with sweet taste, which is a preferable food characteristic. We conducted two experiments. An eye-tracking study investigated whether CNI has an effect on cue reactivity (dwell time, saccadic latency, wanting/liking) for sweet foods. The participants were presented with images depicting sweets (e.g., cake). Each image was preceded by a colored circle that informed about the sugar content of the food (red = high, green = low, gray = unknown). It was tested whether the red circle would help the participants to direct their gaze away from the ‘high sugar’ item. A second experiment investigated whether colored prime circles (red, green, gray) without nutrition information would influence the assumed sweetness of a food. In Experiment 1, CNI had the opposite of the intended effect. Dwell time and saccadic latency were higher for food items preceded by a red compared to a green circle. This unintended response was positively associated with participants’ liking of sweet foods. CNI did not change the wanting/liking of the displayed foods. In Experiment 2, we found no evidence for color priming on the assumed sweetness of food. Our results question whether CNI is helpful to influence initial cue reactivity toward sweet foods.

show abstract

A red code triggers an unintended approach motivation toward sweet ultra-processed foods: Possible implications for front-of-pack labels

Cited by 21 publications

References 65 publications

Ultra-Processed Foods Elicit Higher Approach Motivation Than Unprocessed and Minimally Processed Foods

Ultra-Processed Foods Elicit Higher Approach Motivation Than Unprocessed and Minimally Processed Foods

The Impact of Responsible Food Packaging Perceptions on Naturalness and Healthiness Inferences, and Consumer Buying Intentions

The Color Nutrition Information Paradox: Effects of Suggested Sugar Content on Food Cue Reactivity in Healthy Young Women

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About