Debunking fast food: How expectations shape our eating experiences

When I was at the Food and Brand lab at Cornell University, the crew of Penn and Teller (well-known US TV show) filmed a small-scale consumer experiment. They invited a food designer known for doing 'extreme makeovers' with fast food (see his blog 'Fancy Fast Food'). This designer changed the fast food bought at places like KFC, McDonalds and Dunkin' Donuts into beautifully looking restaurant dishes.

Then the experiment started. Visitors of the lab were tricked into believing they were eating fancy restaurant food. As a result, the food was highly liked. 'It is something my grandma would make', one guy told. Then a second experiment started. Here, one group was correctly told that the salad they were served came from the fast food chain Taco Bells. Not surprisingly, the response was accordingly: 'Big, greasy and maybe not so healthy'. However, when exactly the same salad was presented as coming from the 'California Garden Cafe', people were much more enthusiastic ('It's good... it's light').

We like to believe that we are experts in recognizing excellent cooking. In reality, how we experience food is not only determined by the characteristics of the food itself, but at least as much by our expectations, desires and beliefs. If we think that a food or drink is going to taste good, we look for positive qualities that confirm that belief and justify our choice. This is related to the health halo effect, which refers to consumers' tendency to think that when a food possesses one desirable feature ('freshly made'), the food is automatically assumed to have more desirable features ('it tastes light'). A risky bias, which may lead to underestimating how many calories we actually eat.

Watch this video, it is really fun. By the way, I am not in the video, I was washing the dishes...

Controversial marketing: The hidden empty calories in soft drink vendings machines at high schools

Last month, I visited a high school Open House with my almost 12 year old daughter. One of the staff members proudly told parents that the canteen only serves healthy foods. Good news. However, to my surprise I bumped into a soft drink vending machine in the hall way selling various sugary drinks (see picture).

Last week, a documentary about the powerful sugar and soft drinks lobby in the Netherlands opened my eyes (Zembla: De Zoete Verleiding). At 37 minutes into the documentary, a Dutch school principal states that the school earns about €19.000 each year thanks to a so-called 'pouring contract'. The school gives exclusive permission to sell soft drinks in vending machines in hallway or canteen ('pouring rights'). Although most revenues go to the soft drink company, for schools these contracts are very lucrative. It is a substantial source of revenue to pay for all kinds of extra school activities such as music and sports.

Since the 1990s, targeting schools has been an important strategic direction of soft drink companies. School children are a highly relevant group to continuously confront with brand logos and advertising. It is a great opportunity to create a new generation of loyal consumers. However, it is a questionable marketing practice. Perhaps schools underestimate the negative consequences of consuming soft drinks at a regular basis. If that is the case, they should wake up. A recent study among 641 Dutch school children showed that children given sugar-free drinks gained less weight than those given regular drinks with sugars. This study adds to the growing evidence that sugary soft drinks directly contribute to obesity among children. As such, soft drinks are the prototype of junk food.

Reversing the obesity problem requires immediate action. I am in favour of using psychological insights to nudge consumers towards healthier food choices. Subtly pushing children towards healthier choices, for example by making fruits and salad more accessible, is a promising way to go. Increasingly, vending machines include healthier options, such as water. However, as a consumer scientist and a mother, I wonder whether a nudge is strong enough. Soft drinks are a huge temptation compared to water. Water is less cool and tasty. Seeing 'everyone drinking it' may influence my daughter to leave her common sense behind. Moreover, that athlete at the display looks real good. As teenagers are in the process of learning to control themselves, they need strong support at home, but also at school. Add this to the substantial financial benefits for both the soft drink industry and schools and I believe that we strongly need to consider banning soft drinks in school vending machines.

Healthy checkout lines and sales worries

Looking for an interesting movie about nudging in the supermarket? Here it is.

Tempting snacks near the checkout line can be hard to resist. Yoni Freedhoff's blog included a post about healthy checkout aisles at a few stores in the US. Unhealthy snacks such as candy bars were removed from the aisle and replaced by (dried) fruit, vegetables and toys that encourage children to be active such as hula hoops. The movie shows customers who are happy (less nagging by children) and store managers who seem to be surprised by its success.

Easy access to healthier snacks may indeed impact consumer choices, as our recently published study showed. Nevertheless, our study took place in a hospital staff canteen where sales were not of big concern.

This transformation of junk food checkout lines into healthier lines took place in 2011. I would love to see data showing the effectiveness of this nudge throughout time. Interestingly, one store manager in the movie mentions the higher profit margins of some healthier items (such as the jump rope) compared to a candy bar. It appears that the success of 'a healthy options aisle' depends on the 'replacement assortment'. Apparently, customers need or want to be tempted and give in to something, whether it is chocolate or a toy. Hopefully, sales did not drop after the first excitement. After all, without substantial sales, I am afraid this experiment would not continue for a long time.

Why 'black and white' thinking makes you eat more

Many dieters who lose a lot of body weight will be back where they started or even heavier. Some dieters, however, manage to keep off some or all the weight. In a study of Susan Byrne and colleagues, aimed to learn more about successful and failing dieters, the most powerful psychological predictor of weight regain was a dichotomous thinking style. This thinking style is also called 'black and white' or 'all or nothing' thinking. Dieters think they have to eat perfectly or do nothing at all.

Dose insensitivity

Not only dieters, but many consumers label foods as either 'good for health' or 'bad for health', without any options in between and regardless of the amount eaten. In a survey of Paul Rozin and colleagues, 40% of the respondents agreed with the statement 'Although there are some exceptions, most foods are either good or bad for health'. They call this tendency to believe that something in large amounts is also harmful in small amounts 'dose insensitivity'.

People overgeneralize even to the level of gaining weight from eating foods. In a study of Michael Oakes and Carole Slotterback, participants were presented with food and their caloric content. One of their fascinating findings? One bag of potato chips (152 calories) was judged to promote more weight gain than a large raisin bran muffin (460 calories).

Venco Zwart-witjes Liquorice - good or bad?

The advantage of this thinking style is that it makes life simple and reduces the number of choices you have to make. You chose a 'good food' and you can eat how much you want, without worrying about gaining weight. Perhaps this tendency is not surprising as consumers are bombarded with advertising and claims focusing on benefits of consuming one food or meal. Perhaps even some over simplistic nutrition education campaigns can partly be blamed ('beware of fat').

This 'black and white' mind-set can make you overeat. No matter how large the portion size, you are likely to underestimate your calories and as a result overindulge. Dieters thinking 'black and white' also talk negative to themselves. Once they break a diet rule, pessimistic thoughts come up, such as: 'Now I have blown it; I ate three chocolates, I might as well finish the entire box' or 'this is not a dieting day anymore...'.  Consequently, they do not stop eating and ignore physical feelings of fullness ('what the hell effect').

Do you agree with the statement: 'I don't want to give up the foods I like'?

I do, and I am not alone in this. In a survey of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 82% of the respondents agreed with this statement. It is hard to abandon foods from your life that you really love. Tell yourself 'you can't eat that!', and the more tempting it becomes. It may help to identify such thinking patterns and replace them with a more realistic view on eating. For example, enjoy a little snack, just don't go overboard.