Study: Labeling can make vegetables more appealing

One way to encourage people to eat more vegetables is to add more sizzle to the labeling, a new study found.

Using phrases such as “twisted citrus-glazed carrots” or “sweet sizzilin’ green beans and crispy shallots” resulted in 25 percent more people selecting the vegetable compared with basic labeling, according to the Stanford University study.

The increase was even greater, 41 percent, over healthy restrictive labeling such as “lighter-choice beets with no added sugar,” the study found.

“Further research should assess how well the effects generalize to other settings and explore the potential of indulgent labeling to help alleviate the pervasive cultural mindset that healthy foods are not tasty,” according to the research, published by JAMA Internal Medicine.

Researchers conducted the study in a large university cafeteria, collecting data each weekday.

Each day, one vegetable was labeled in 1 of 4 ways: basic (“beets,” “green beans,” or “carrots”), healthy restrictive (“lighter-choice beets with no added sugar,” “light ‘n’ low-carb green beans and shallots” or “carrots with sugar-free citrus dressing”), healthy positive (“high-antioxidant beets,” “healthy energy-boosting green beans and shallots,” or “smart-choice vitamin C citrus carrots”), or indulgent ( “dynamite chili and tangy lime-seasoned beets,” “sweet sizzilin’ green beans and crispy shallots,” or “twisted citrus-glazed carrots”).

The labeling changed, but there were no changes in how the vegetables were prepared or served.

Research assistants discretely recorded the number of diners who selected the vegetable and weighed the mass of vegetable taken from the serving bowl.

The authors were unable to measure how much food was eaten individually by cafeteria patrons, although people generally eat 92 percent of self-served food, the study said.

“Further research should assess how well the effects generalize to other settings and explore the potential of indulgent labeling to help alleviate the pervasive cultural mindset that healthy foods are not tasty,” according to the research.

—

By: David Beasley, Earth.com Staff Writer

Source: The JAMA Network Journals