The Effect of Packaging Color and Health Claims on Product Attitude and Buying Intention

Alexandra Theben,Frans Folkvord,Melissa Gerards

doi:10.3390/ijerph17061991

Abstract

Packaging design is an important factor when consumers look out for healthy food. The study tested for effects of packaging color and health claims of a fictional fruit yoghurt package on attitude towards the product and subsequently, consumer’s buying intention, using a 2 × 2 between-subjects experimental design. We also tested whether interest in healthy food is a moderating factor. We found no evidence to support that visual cues (color) and textual cues (health-related advertising claims) are effective in influencing consumer attitude towards the product. Consumers did not show a more positive attitude towards products presented in low-arousal packaging colors (green/blue) compared to high arousal packaging colors (red/yellow). Also, the claim “palatability” did not result in a more positive attitude towards the product than the claim “healthy”. A moderating role of interest in healthy food could not be confirmed. The results confirmed, however, a significant relation of attitude towards the product and buying intention. Thus, buying intention could be explained mostly by whether consumers had a positive or negative attitude towards the product, which confirms that people’s attitudes are powerful predictors of buying decisions.

Highlights

The increased intake of processed and calorie-dense foods has led to increasing rates of overweight and obesity across countries worldwide, including the European Union [1]
Inspired by trends towards health issues, concerns for negative consequences of unhealthy food consumption [5] and proliferation of BFY foods that contain high levels of sugar, use harmful substitutes for sugar or have a very low nutrition value [6,10], this study aimed to investigate the effect that health claims on food packaging have on the attitude towards the product and on the buying intention of this product
Based on the literature that describes the influence of packaging features on product evaluations e.g., [14,26,28], it was expected that participants confronted with a product with a low-arousal packaging color would have a more positive attitude towards the product, compared to participants that encountered a product with high-arousal packaging colors

Summary

Introduction

The increased intake of processed and calorie-dense foods has led to increasing rates of overweight and obesity across countries worldwide, including the European Union [1]. As suggested by the World Health Organization [1] obesity and related morbidities can be prevented through supportive environments that shape people’s choices, for example by making the selection of healthier food items to be consumed the easiest choice for consumption. An increasing number of consumers is looking for products that reflect health and well-being; usually products low in fat, sugar, salt, or calories [4,5]. Consumers often seek out claims on product packaging that fall in line with their general goals of wellness and wellbeing. This culminated in the rise of so-called “better-for-you” (BFY) products, which are often advertised as either low in fat or completely fat-free, typically contain artificial sweeteners instead of sugar, or have added fibers or vitamins [6]. A number of studies suggest, that despite the fact that BFY products often fare better than other products in terms of nutritional quality, they often contain high levels of sugar [7,8]

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion