Companies' good deeds can give their unhealthy products a 'health halo'

Consumers often assume that a company with a social conscience makes healthy products, even though this may often not be the case, a new study has found.

The study, published in the Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, argues that a company’s socially responsible behaviour may give its unhealthy food products a ‘health halo’.

“Research demonstrates that consumers frequently engage in inference-making when evaluating food products. These inferences can be highly inaccurate, leading to unintended, unhealthy consumer choices,” wrote authors John Peloza, Christine Ye and William J Montford.

As part of the study, the authors asked participants to make assumptions about the healthiness of a granola bar. Participants who were told that the granola bar manufacturer had won numerous public service awards predicted that the granola bar would be healthy.

According to the authors, this health halo encouraged overconsumption and underestimation of calories consumed. They suggest that the study could lead to important changes in advertising regulations, such as limiting how much information companies can include about their social programs on food packaging.

The authors say that studies such as these may help raise awareness among consumers who want to purchase healthy products but don’t want to be manipulated into making incorrect assumptions about the healthiness of a product.

“If consumers seeking a healthy diet inaccurately estimate nutritional content of products marketed by firms with strong reputations for corporate social responsibility, it can lead to serious health consequences for both individuals and society,” the authors wrote.