Executive summary of “Perceived health and taste ambivalence in food consumption”

Citation

(2015), "Executive summary of “Perceived health and taste ambivalence in food consumption”", Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 32 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCM-06-2015-028

Executive summary of “Perceived health and taste ambivalence in food consumption”

Article Type: Executive summary and implications for managers and executives From: Journal of Consumer Marketing, Volume 32, Issue 4

This summary has been provided to allow managers and executives a rapid appreciation of the content of this article. Those with a particular interest in the topic covered may then read the article in toto to take advantage of the more comprehensive description of the research undertaken and its results to get the full benefits of the material present.

Successful marketing of food items demands considerable understanding of the intricate relationship between consumers and products. Such knowledge is essential if marketers are to effectively influence consumer choices.

Labels on food products are one means of providing the information which is intended to elicit a desired response. Tastiness of the product is typically indicated on labels, which also contain details of its nutritional value. But a complex association exists between taste and healthiness, and this is compounded by the differing effects of product type and consumer characteristics. As a result, the impact can be significantly different to that desired by marketers.

Numerous studies have offered evidence which supports the view that taste and healthiness are mutually exclusive where food consumption is concerned. In many countries, taste is evidently a greater priority than health when choosing food products. Russia is one example. It has also been shown that consumers anticipate that “unhealthy” food will have a superior taste to alternatives marketed as healthy. However, there are exceptions to such patterns. For instance, more recent work indicated that consumers in France held the opposite view in linking healthy food with tastiness and unhealthy food with being less palatable. But the general perception is that unhealthy food incorporates such as quality and taste, whereas individuals who seek to optimize their physical health have to sacrifice these benefits.

Popular opinion holds that some foods are regarded as being considerably healthier than others even when they are nutritionally similar. The supposedly less healthy foods are typically seen as more tasty though. This is evident in such as full-fat products, relative to the lighter versions of the same offering. Yet the fact that lower-fat options frequently contain artificial ingredients and additives shows the inherent complexities of the taste–health issue. Belief in certain quarters that chocolate can provide health benefits further illustrates the point.

Consumers who diet have different motivations to others when selecting their food. Key criteria will usually be such as the amount of calories, fat and sugar contained within a product. Certain foods will automatically be perceived as unhealthy by this group. One study found that these assumptions were made about pasta. Greater concern about such as product freshness will be the norm among their non-dieting counterparts.

Health has different meanings to different individuals and influences their health-related motives accordingly. Energy, physical well-being, emotional well-being, outward appearance, self-management and social responsibility are among the goals associated with health. Research also indicated that some consumption behaviors varied depending on the motive for pursuing health. Whereas some groups felt that convenience foods could incorporate both tastiness and healthiness, the same perceptions were not evident among others. In another study, it was found that certain products classified as junk food could be deemed healthier if people were primed to think about eating in abstract terms.

Consumers likewise attach different priorities to the various attributes and outcomes of food consumption. In addition to health and taste, naturalness, safety, convenience, price, origin, appearance, environmental impact and fairness are among the factors widely considered. Choice will to some extent often be guided by the relative importance attached to these and other aspects. For instance, the respective strength of health values and taste values determines taste perceptions for such as low-fat and regular versions of different foods. This would influence their food selection process accordingly.

In the first of three studies, Luomala et al. examine perceived tastiness and healthiness of light food products by dieting and non-dieting males and females. Interviews were conducted with the 20 participants, who were asked to sort food products into healthy and tasty, healthy and bad-tasting, unhealthy and tasty and unhealthy and bad-tasting categories. Six light foods were included on the list of 21 products.

Ensuing discussions focused on the categorization process and how products could be changed and moved into other groupings. Analysis revealed:

• differences in perceptions between dieters and non-dieters;

• non-dieters were more critical about what is tasty and healthy;

• some respondents felt the “light” label encouraged excessive consumption and could thus be considered unhealthy;

• non-dieters considered light foods unnatural, whereas lightness contributed to their healthiness in the view of those dieting;

• dieters seemed more responsive to product and marketing claims; and

• more individualistic perceptions of taste were evident.

Focus groups were used for the second study, which explored perceptions of tastiness and healthiness of convenience foods. Consumers with different health motivations took part in the research and were classified into “Meaning-makers” and “Neutrals”. Health motives were indicated as high for the former of these categories and low for the latter.

Among the indications to emerge from the discussions were as follows:

• Neutrals were less likely than meaning-makers to regard convenience food as healthy.

• Both groups agreed that certain products could be regarded as tasty and healthy, while others were felt to be unhealthy and not tasty.

• Disagreement was evident in the respective perceptions of the taste and healthiness of certain products. Meaning-makers regarded these products as healthy, while neutrals expressed concern about the ingredients and cooking methods involved.

• Difference in taste perceptions was partly attributed to the “ingrained belief” among neutrals that convenience foods are not tasty.

Consumers with different food values were used in the final study which investigated perceptions of taste and health of candy products. Female university students participated and were classified as either taste valuators or health valuators. This was determined by the respective value placed on taste or health as identified through preliminary research.

Subjects were asked to classify conventional and “functional” candies based on perceptions of (un)tastiness and (un)healthiness. Analysis revealed:

• The two groups differed in their classifications of conventional and functional candy products based on health and taste.

• Functional candies were felt to be more healthy than unhealthy by both groups.

• Compared to health valuators, taste valuators regarded conventional candies to be unhealthier and slightly more tasty.

• Taste valuators tended to eat candy more frequently and have less willpower to control their candy consumption.

• Functionality boosted perceptions of candy being both tasty and healthy. This effect was considerably stronger among Taste-valuators.

The authors conclude that consumer opinions in the relationship between health and taste are determined at individual product level. Various factors influence their perceptions, including dieting status, health motives, food values, product type, ingredients, level of processing and marketing cues. Future research could further examine these interactions and ascertain the significance of other factors such as consumer characteristics. The extent to which perceptions are strategic or the result of unconscious “cognitive and affective mechanisms” could likewise be further explored.

Food companies and marketers are advised to use the information here to target different segments accordingly. One suggestion would be to focus on taste valuators when promoting functional candy products. Caution is advised when using the term “light” to market foods as healthy, as many consumers no longer seem to make this connection. In addition, manufacturers can help improve the image of convenience foods by using ingredients and processes which have been certified as healthy by relevant independent bodies. Another means of enhancing consumer perceptions is to exploit the reputation of brands concerned wherever possible.

To read the full article, enter 10.1108/JCM-11-2014-1233 into your search engine.

(A précis of the article “Perceived health and taste ambivalence in food consumption”. Supplied by Marketing Consultants for Emerald.)