THE EFFECT OF FOOD AND DRINK LABELS ON HEALTHY CHOICES JESS, JADE, JOELLE, COURTNEY, JORDAN, AMANDA

THE EFFECT OF FOOD AND DRINK LABELS ON HEALTHY CHOICES JESS, JADE, JOELLE, COURTNEY, JORDAN, AMANDA

PURPOSE STATEMENT To investigate what aspects of food and drink products labeling and branding persuades consumers to believe that they are making healthy choices at grocery stores

PROJECT SIGNIFICANCE The misconceptions surrounding the definition of healthy are a consequence of both the branding decisions of food/drink companies and the branding of the grocery stores in which these products are sold

D E F I N I T I O N O F H E A L T H Y As we conducted our experiments and did an in-depth analysis of food labeling and nutrition info, before consulting with our participants we determined that healthy foods were lower in calories, fat, sugar and sodium than their competitors

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK: SOCIAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS Individual Level Factors: Social Level Factors: - Physiological - Psychological - Sociological - Advertising messages (stimulus response) - Connecting products to need satisfaction - Class mobility - Consumption driven by status communication - Purchase at the level they aspire to be - Products as status markers

B A C K G R O U N D R E S E A R C H > > > E X P E C T E D R E S U L T S College students look at grocery packaging than consumers of other age groups Consumers buy healthier foods in order to evoke positive emotions associated with feeling healthy The decision-making process of grocery shopping involves high level of emotion, sometimes subconsciously There is a misconception among consumers that because the packing contains nutrition information, that it is in fact healthier Consumers are willing to travel further to purchase healthier groceries

I N D U C T I V E P R O C E S S 1. Background Research 2. Expected Results 3. Experiment (Blind Taste Test) 4. Focus Groups 5. Data Analysis 6. Conclusion

M E T H O D S O V E R V I E W 1. Blind taste test 2. Focus group S A M P L I N G M E T H O D 30 UW-Madison students Convenience sampling Proximity College students are hyper aware of their appearance and body image Madison is a city that focuses on health and fitness These were the best research methods because it's easy for participants to say they aren t influenced by healthy branding, but our blind taste test and focus group allowed us to witness how participants tastes and thoughts changed because of food labeling and packaging

M E T H O D : B L I N D T A S T E T E S T Blind Taste Test Participants tried two brands of chips, cookies, and orange juice; one perceived to be healthy and one not. This helped us determine that students are choosing to buy food/drink items that they believe are healthier, even if they don t taste as good. TASTE TEST KEY A = Less healthy food choice. EX: Oreo B = Healthy food choice. EX: Trader Joe s Joe-Joe s Cookies Which did you think was healthier? Why? *SHOW PACKAGING* Which brand would you buy? Why?

METHOD: FOCUS GROUP Focus Group Post-blind taste test participants were asked to describe their grocery shopping habits and perceptions of health QUESTIONS What aspects of products do you look for when shopping at the grocery store? Does the appearance of a product or its brand affect your decision to purchase an item? How so? Do you look at the nutrition packaging of foods? If so, why? How much does this affect your decision? What do you consider healthy? How would you define healthy? What food/grocery store brands do you consider to be more healthy? Why do you think they re healthier?

DO LABELS EXPRESS HEALTHRELATED INFORMATION?

FINDINGS

WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF THESE LABELS ON COLLEGE STUDENTS PERCEPTION OF WHAT IS HEALTHY?

BLIND TASTE TEST RESULTS We found that participants labeled food as being healthier after they saw the brand. I D SAY THE APPEARANCE DEFINITELY AFFECTS MY DECISIONS, IF IT LOOKS SIMPLE AND EASIER TO READ I M MORE INCLINED TO BUY IT

DOES THIS PERCEPTION INFLUENCE THEIR DECISION MAKING PROCESS WHEN PURCHASING FOODS/DRINK? WHY?

Participant's opinion on brand health

FOCUS GROUP RESULTS "I THINK MORE PREMIUM INGREDIENTS JUSTIFY THE HIGHER PRICES AND WHOLE FOODS SHOWS MY ROOMMATES THAT I CARE ABOUT MY BODY BECAUSE I PAID MORE TO GET THE HEALTHIER ITEMS.

F O C U S G R O U P R E S U L T S " I L O O K F O R S I M P L E L A B E L I N G B E C A U S E I T S U P - F R O N T, M O R E T R A N S P A R E N T. A N D Y E A H, T H E A P P E A R A N C E O F A C E R T A I N B R A N D D E F I N I T E L Y A F F E C T S M Y D E C I S I O N S. "

F O C U S G R O U P R E S U L T S There s this mentality that these stores wouldn t carry foods that are unhealthy for you. "Whole Foods and Trader Joe's carry a lot of fresh produce and brands that are traditionally known for being healthier." I feel like my roommates would judge me if I came back with grocery bags filled with junk food.

D I S C U S S I O N

N U T R I T I O N A L I N F O R M A T I O N Tropicana Orange Juice 110 Calories Trader Joe s Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice Oreo's Calories: 160 Total Fat: 7g Sodium: 120mg Sugar: 12g Serving Size: 3 Cookies Jo Joe's Calories: 130 Total Fat: 5g Sodium: 120mg Sugar: 12g Serving Size: 2 Cookies

C O N C L U S I O N College Students willing to spend more $ on items that appear healthy despite contents nearly identical to their counterpart College Students do not like taste grocery items marketed to appear healthier as they do their counterparts

E F F E C T Societal pressure and individual desire to be healthy > both taste preference and affordability College students are uninformed about actual contents of the food/drink items Health-centered marketing = large factor in determining which grocery items that college students buy

L I M I T A T I O N S Blind taste test: limited flexibility, ie. only had three different food/ drink samples Focus groups: small sample size, limited generalizability

F O R W A R D P R O G R E S S I O N more transparency in labeling growth in consumer education replicating this research on other college campuses

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QUESTIONS?