Delicious but Immoral? Ethical Information Influences Consumer Expectations and Experience of Food

Health- or Environmental-Focused Text Messages to Increase Consumption of a Sustainable Diet among Young Adults: Importance of Expected Taste

Taste is a frequently cited barrier to the greater adoption of plant-based foods, a dietary pattern associated with both health and environmental benefits. To examine the role of expected taste in promoting greater adoption of plant-based foods, we examined the impact of a text-message intervention on the expected taste of both meat- and plant-protein foods. Young adults (n = 159) were randomly assigned to receive either health- or environment-focused text messages twice a week for eight weeks. Study measures (pre- and post-) included dietary recalls, the expected tastiness of meat- and plant-protein images and plant-based diets, consumption intention, and person-related factors such as moral satisfaction and the subjective norms of plant-based eating and health and environmental values. Participants rating plant-protein foods tastier at baseline were more likely to report higher actual (p < 0.001) and intended (p = 0.017) consumption of plant proteins following the intervention. While text messages had a limited effect on altering the expected taste of specific plant-protein foods, the messages did elevate the expected tastiness of plant-based diets. Baseline person-related factors positively predicted changes in expected tastiness of plant-based diets. Messages promoting plant-based foods may be more effective if these foods are first perceived as tasty. Furthermore, incorporating person-related considerations into messaging strategies may improve the expected taste of plant-based foods.

Animal welfare information affects consumers' hedonic and emotional responses towards milk

This research aimed to explore the effects of animal welfare information on consumers' hedonic and emotional responses towards milk. Two studies were conducted. For Study 1, participants (N = 101) were asked to fill out a questionnaire on attitudes towards animal welfare, in which a variety of factors including raising methods, quality of life, emotions, quality of the product, nutrition, price, and environment, were tested. For Study 2, participants (N = 63) tasted a milk sample (2% fat, standardized and homogenized) in two different conditions: [1] blind (without any previous information), and [2] informed (with information stating that the milk was obtained from a farm with an animal welfare system in place). For Study 1, participants with higher milk consumption per week showed a higher agreement with positive animal welfare statements. For Study 2, the overall liking for the milk in the informed condition was significantly higher than that of the milk in the blind condition (7.4 vs. 6.8, using a 9-point hedonic scale). Participants had higher penalizations for the milk in the blind condition as they suggested that the milk's flavor, sweetness, aroma, and mouthfeel were not enough in the product. This research showed that animal welfare can be an important extrinsic factor in the consumers' hedonic and emotional responses towards milk. These findings can be useful for understanding consumers' behaviors towards animal welfare.