Physically processing imperfect produce: The impact of prototypicality

Abstract

Forty percent of edible produce is wasted because of consumers' aversion toward esthetical imperfections related to size, shape, and blemish for produce. This phenomenon has huge implications in terms of both environmental sustainability and food security, and calls for the development of interventions that could facilitate the sale of products which would otherwise go to waste. This research provides an explanation for why transforming the physical state of imperfect produce—that is, by physically processing it and turning it into other products (e.g., juices)—is a successful strategy in this sense. More specifically, when imperfect produce is transformed, the new processed product (e.g., juice) belongs to a different conceptual category and thus is perceived as more prototypical and a good example of this new category. We show that higher perceptions of prototypicality in turn lead to more positive preferences. We test this effect in three experimental studies and show that this mechanism is robust across a range of possible transformations of imperfect produce (e.g., natural vs. artificial) and across different dependent variables (i.e., purchase intention, product choice, willingness to pay). Our findings provide evidence for the effectiveness of a solution to be enacted by retailers and actors of the food sector and provide suggestions for public policy initiatives aimed at curbing food waste.

Feasibility of adopting imperfect produce in on-site foodservice: expert opinions and consumer sensory discrimination

“…This approach is viable, assuming the imperfectness does not impact flavor or texture. This finding is consistent with those of Barone et al . (2021), such that the transformation of the physical appearance of imperfect produce could improve consumer acceptance.…”

Take it or leave it? Investigating the ambivalence and willingness to pay for suboptimal fruits and vegetables among organic consumers in Germany

“…At the same time, however, negative perceptions can arise from the abnormal appearance of suboptimal food. For example, externally deviated fruits and vegetables are often seen by consumers as not being prototypical (Hingston and Noseworthy, 2020;Barone et al, 2021) and thus as less nutritious, fresh, attractive and tasty than optimal looking products, sometimes even being viewed with disgust and regarded as risky to consume (Jaeger et al, 2018;Loebnitz and Grunert, 2018;Cooremans and Geuens, 2019;Schifferstein et al, 2019;Hingston and Noseworthy, 2020;Pfeiffer et al, 2021).…”

Getting away from death fear: How disease threat drives consumers' colorfulness seeking

“…Prolific is a professional online survey platform with more than 1.3 million users from different backgrounds. Prolific has been widely used in consumer behavior research and has shown good reliability (e.g., Barone et al, 2021; Li & Shin, 2022; Wang, Raghunathan, & Gauri, 2022). A total of 100 participants (75 males) were recruited in the experiment for a cash payment (approximately £1).…”