Savouring morality. Moral satisfaction renders food of ethical origin subjectively tastier

Nicolas Kervyn,Boyka Bratanova,Christin-Melanie Vauclair,Olivier Klein,Sandy Schumann,Robert Wood

doi:10.1016/j.appet.2015.04.006

Abstract

Past research has shown that the experience of taste can be influenced by a range of external cues, especially when they concern food's quality. The present research examined whether food's ethicality – a cue typically unrelated to quality – can also influence taste. We hypothesised that moral satisfaction with the consumption of ethical food would positively influence taste expectations, which in turn will enhance the actual taste experience. This enhanced taste experience was further hypothesised to act as a possible reward mechanism reinforcing the purchase of ethical food. The resulting ethical food → moral satisfaction → enhanced taste expectations and experience → stronger intentions to buy/willingness to pay model was validated across four studies: one large scale international survey (Study 1) and three experimental studies involving actual food consumption of different type of ethical origin – organic (Study 2), fair trade (Study 3a) and locally produced (Study 3b). Furthermore, endorsement of values relevant to the food's ethical origin moderated the effect of food's origin on moral satisfaction, suggesting that the model is primarily supported for people who endorse these values.

Highlights

Past research has shown that the experience of taste can be influenced by a range of external cues, especially when they concern food’s quality
The main aims of this analysis were to test whether (1) environmental benefit beliefs are positively linked to expectations about organic tomato sauce (TS)’ superior taste and whether this effect was mediated by moral satisfaction; and (2) beliefs about the environmental benefit of organic TS are positively linked with buying intentions, and whether this effect is mediated by both moral satisfaction and taste expectations
Using a non-convenience sample, the study provided initial support for the ethical food → moral satisfaction → superior taste → stronger intentions to buy model. It demonstrated that beliefs about the food’s ethical origin positively predicted beliefs about its superior taste and that this link was partly explained by moral satisfaction derived from the food purchase

Summary

Introduction

Past research has shown that the experience of taste can be influenced by a range of external cues, especially when they concern food’s quality. We hypothesised that moral satisfaction with the consumption of ethical food would positively influence taste expectations, which in turn will enhance the actual taste experience. The resulting ethical food → moral satisfaction → enhanced taste expectations and experience → stronger intentions to buy/willingness to pay model was validated across four studies: one large scale international survey (Study 1) and three experimental studies involving actual food consumption of different type of ethical origin – organic (Study 2), fair trade (Study 3a) and locally produced (Study 3b). Consumers are showing increasing preference for locally produced food, largely due to its sustainability-related attributes (ATKearney, 2013; Day-Farnsworth, McCown, Miller, & Pfeiffer, 2009) While these statistics are a reason for celebration, they pose an intriguing question: What led to this

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