Marketing Healthier Packaged Foods

Background: There is growing interest in understanding whether the techniques that marketers use to effectively promote less healthy foods can be used to effectively promote healthier products. The goal of the present study was to investigate how health-related claims (e.g., low fat, no trans fat, organic) on packaged foods influence consumers’ perceptions and purchase intentions.

Methods: In an online study, 1,163 participants judged 17 food products. We independently manipulated two variables: (1) whether the products had the manufacturers’ health claim on their packaging, and (2) whether a calorie label advertised accurate calories-per-serving or reduced calories-per-serving. A control group viewed the same products without any claims or calorie labels. Participants rated product healthfulness, deliciousness, and purchase intent.

Results: The presence of health claims made unhealthy products seem healthier, but did not affect the perceived healthfulness of healthy products. Health-related claims also decreased perceptions of deliciousness, and this effect was slightly stronger for healthy products than for unhealthy products. Overall, health-related claims did not increase purchase likelihood. In contrast, advertising fewer calories increased perceptions of healthfulness, but more so for unhealthy products, and increased purchase intent relative to advertising regular calorie amounts; taste was unaffected.

Discussion: These results suggest that health-related claims on unhealthy products influence consumers to think those products are healthier than may be the case. In contrast, using health-related claims to market healthier products may not make them seem healthier or more attractive, and may even backfire.