Perceived degree of food processing as a cue for perceived healthiness: The NOVA system mirrors consumers’ perceptions
Open access
Datum
2023-08Typ
- Journal Article
Abstract
Demand for processed food is increasing, but at the same time, some of these products have been strongly criticised for causing non-communicable diseases. Only a few studies have analysed consumers’ perceptions of food processing and, especially, ultra-processed foods. We examined consumers’ associations with processed foods, as well as how their processing and healthiness perceptions are related to food classification systems (i.e. NOVA) and the nutritional value of foods (i.e. Nutri-Score). An online survey was conducted with 498 Swiss consumers, who indicated their associations with the term ‘foods produced by the industry’. Furthermore, the respondents indicated how they perceived the healthiness and degree of processing of 27 foods that differed in how much they had been processed. The results suggest that consumers have rather negative associations with food processing. Consumers use the perceived degree of processing as a cue in their evaluation of the healthiness of foods. The use of this heuristic may result in biased decisions. Furthermore, we found a strong agreement between laypeople's perceived level of processing and the NOVA classification system. Mehr anzeigen
Persistenter Link
https://doi.org/10.3929/ethz-b-000625580Publikationsstatus
publishedExterne Links
Zeitschrift / Serie
Food Quality and PreferenceBand
Seiten / Artikelnummer
Verlag
ElsevierThema
Perceived food processing; Perceived food healthiness; Consumer; NOVA; Nutri-Score; Food naturalnessOrganisationseinheit
03780 - Siegrist, Michael / Siegrist, Michael