Ciência-IUL
Publications
Publication Detailed Description
The Impact of sugar-related claims on perceived healthfulness, caloric value and expected taste of food products
Journal Title
Food Quality and Preference
Year (definitive publication)
2021
Language
English
Country
United States of America
More Information
Web of Science®
Scopus
Google Scholar
Abstract
Food packaging usually includes multiple cues, including claims about nutrients that may modulate how the consumer perceives (and behaves towards) the product. In the current work, we systematically examined how different types of claims about sugar influenced the perception of food product categories (i.e., yogurts, ice creams, cookies, and breakfast cereals). In two experiments (combined n = 406), participants were asked to evaluate the perceived healthfulness, caloric value, and expected taste of products with (vs. without) sugar-related claims. Specifically, the claims were on the sugar content (“0% sugar”, “sugar-free”, “no added sugars”, “low sugar” - Experiment 1) or on the type of sugars or sweeteners of natural origin (“sucrose”, “cane sugar”, “honey” and “stevia” - Experiment 2). Experiment 1 revealed that all products with sugar-related claims were rated as healthier, less caloric, and less tasty than the regular alternatives. Still, products with the “low sugar” claim were perceived as the least healthy, most caloric, and tastiest. In Experiment 2, we observed that products with “stevia” claim were rated as healthier, less caloric, and less tasty than regular products. In both experiments, the frequency of consumption of products with sugar-related claims was positively associated with the general perception of these products, the influence of nutritional information on consumption decisions, attention to sugar intake, and interest in nutrition. Overall, our results show that sugar-related claims may influence consumer's perceptions about food products, but the direction of that influence depends on the type of claim and evaluative dimension.
Acknowledgements
--
Keywords
Calories,Claims,Expected taste,Food perception,Healthfulness,Sugar
Fields of Science and Technology Classification
- Other Engineering and Technology Sciences - Engineering and Technology
- Health Sciences - Medical and Health Sciences
- Animal and Dairy Science - Agriculture Sciences
- Other Agricultural Sciences - Agriculture Sciences
Funding Records
Funding Reference | Funding Entity |
---|---|
LISBOA-01-0145-FEDER-028008 | Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia |
Related Projects
This publication is an output of the following project(s):