Unhealthy food is not tastier for everybody: The “healthy=tasty” French intuition

• Published in: Food quality and preference 2013-04, Vol.28 (1), p.116-121
• Main Authors: Werle, Carolina O.C., Trendel, Olivier, Ardito, Gauthier
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Cross-cultural differences; Food perception; Health; Implicit associations; Obesity; Taste
• ISSN: 0950-3293; 1873-6343
• DOI: 10.1016/j.foodqual.2012.07.007

► We demonstrate that healthy food are implicitly associated with tastiness in France. ► The “unhealthy=tasty” American intuition identified previouslyis culture dependent. ► We examine changes in food perceptions according to health labels. ► Food described as healthy is considered tastier than when described as unhealthy. Previous research demonstrated that, for US-Americans, unhealthy food is implicitly associated to tastiness. Based on intercultural differences in food perception between France and USA, our objective is to verify if such differences impact food-related implicit associations, taste evaluations, and food consumption. Our first study demonstrates that the opposite intuition exists in France: unhealthy food is spontaneously associated with bad taste, while healthy food is linked to tastiness. Our second study investigates how the healthy=tasty French intuition influences taste perceptions in a product test conducted in an experimental lab. Results indicate that a neutral food described as healthy is considered tastier, more pleasurable and of better quality than when it is described as unhealthy.