Food-variety-focused labelling does not increase ideal portion size, expected fullness or snack intake.

Abstract

As greater food variety has been shown to increase intake and is associated with a higher BMI, interventions that modify the effects of food variety have implications for combatting obesity. Previous research has shown that labelling a food with ‘high variety’ flavour-specific labels can reduce an individual’s satiation whilst eating. We were interested in whether the effects of ‘variety labelling’ would also be observed on portion size selection and ad libitum food intake. Therefore, two studies were conducted to explore the effects of labelling foods with different levels of variety on ideal portion size, ratings of expected fullness, and actual intake. In Study 1 (N = 294), participants viewed images of a range of foods that were presented with either high variety labels (descriptions of within-food components), low variety labels (general names of food items), or no label. They selected their ideal portion size and rated their expected fullness for each food. In Study 2 (N = 99), they also consumed one of these foods ad libitum. It was hypothesised that foods presented with high variety labels would have an increased ideal portion size, reduced expected fullness, and increased intake compared to foods presented with low variety labels or no label. Our findings failed to support these predictions, and we found no evidence of an effect of variety labelling on ideal portion size, expected fullness or food intake. These findings highlight the importance of considering how consumer research studies translate to a more ‘real world’ setting.

Evaluation of Some Ingredients and Energy Content on Front‐of‐Pack Cereal Bar Labeling as Drivers of Choice and Perception of Healthiness: A Case Study with Exercisers

“…A large body of research deals with food labeling, especially concerning on-pack nutritional information, which in turn is related to the need to guide consumer choices (Buttriss, 2018). As well as food nutrition issues, a number of other labeling strategies also influence food consumption (Embling et al 2019). Research has also been conducted on the consumer perceptions elicited by labels indicating food attributes such as "organic" (Drexler et al 2018), "natural" (McFadden & Huffman, 2017), or "locally produced" (Mugera et al 2017).…”

Testing an online measure of ideal portion size: A pilot study

“…In contrast, no associations have been found between ideal portion size and age (19,21). This may be due to studies focussing on a 'healthy' adult population, as research has shown that older adults tend to consume smaller meals (22).…”

“…This may be due to studies focussing on a 'healthy' adult population, as research has shown that older adults tend to consume smaller meals (22). In addition, no associations have been found between ideal portion size and BMI (14,19,21,23). In this case, it is important to note that whilst larger portions have been identified as a driver of food intake (1), and has been linked to overweight and obesity due to corresponding upwards trends overtime (9,10,24), ideal portion size measures are concerned with a single eating session which in and of itself would not be expected to predict BMI (indeed, portion size has similar effects on meal consumption irrespective of BMI in both adults and children (2,3,5,6)).…”

“…However, to our knowledge, current tasks are unable to be used remotely as part of a web-based survey. In a previous online study, we asked participants to scroll through several portion size photographs as part of a Likert-scale type measure, but noted that functionality from the original task was lost, predominantly due to a need to present smaller-scale images simultaneously rather than consecutively onscreen (21). We also note that a more recent study used a screen-share service to allow some participants to complete a computer-based task to measure ideal portion size from home (17), but this method is not ideal when recruiting larger Online measure of ideal portion size 2 samples given that individuals will need access to (and be willing and able to use) specific video conferencing software on a one-to-one basis with a researcher.…”

Development of a Simplified Portion Size Selection Task

“…Image and software requirements can also raise issues with transferring such tasks to online formats. Difficulties and disruptions can arise with the time required for images to load, the feasibility of embedding software into common survey platforms such as Qualtrics, and compromise of image size or loss of the ‘animated’ format depicted in the original task [ 26 ]. Moreover, there is an increasing trend to conduct psychological and behavioral research online [ 27 , 28 ] and this has been further exacerbated due to COVID-19 restrictions [ 29 ].…”