Organic ‘health halo’ changes consumer perceptions

The word ‘organic’ can mean many things to consumers. Even so, the power of an organic label can be very strong: studies have shown that this simple label can lead us to think that a food is healthier, through what is known as the ‘health halo effect’.

But can this bias go further? A study by Cornell University’s Food and Brand Lab researchers Jenny Lee, Mitsuru Shimizu, Kevin M Kniffin and Brian Wansink set out to answer this question. Their study shows that an organic label can influence much more than health views: perceptions of taste, calories and value can be significantly altered when a food is labelled ‘organic’. Certain people also appear to be more susceptible to this health halo effect than others.

Researchers recruited 115 people from a shopping mall in Ithaca, New York, to participate in this study. Participants were asked to evaluate three pairs of products: two yoghurts, two cookies and two potato chip portions. One item from each food pair was labelled ‘organic’, while the other was labelled ‘regular’. However, each product pair was identical - and organic.

Participants were asked to rate the taste and caloric content of each item and how much they would be willing to pay for the items. A questionnaire also enquired about their environmental and shopping habits.

Even though these foods were all the same, the organic label greatly influenced people’s perceptions. The cookies and yoghurt were estimated to have significantly fewer calories when labelled organic and people were willing to pay up to 23.4% more for them. The nutritional aspects of these foods were also greatly biased by the health halo effect. The organic cookies and yoghurt were said to taste lower in fat than the regular variety and the organic cookies and chips were thought to be more nutritious.

The label even tricked people’s taste buds: when perceived as organic, chips seemed more appetising and yoghurt was judged to be more flavourful. Regular cookies were reported to taste better - possibly because people often believe healthy foods are not tasty. All of these foods were exactly the same, but a simple organic label made all the difference.

This study found that people who regularly read nutrition labels, those who regularly buy organic food and those who exhibit pro-environmental behaviours (such as recycling or hiking) are less susceptible to the organic health halo effect. So, if you do not consider yourself in one these groups, take a closer look when shopping for cookies and chips that are labelled organic - they are, after all, still cookies and chips!