Do you remember? Consumer reactions to health-related information on snacks in repeated exposure

Abstract

Health-related information on pre-packed food products can enhance purchase intention and healthy choices. However, retained positive influence of health-related information on product liking is necessary to help consumers make informed decisions about a healthy diet in the long term. According to information-reduction theory, consumers reduce the amount of information that is processed in repeated exposure. Hence, increasing familiarity with a product could lead to increased levels of ignoring health-related information and an increasing reliance on product experience-based associations.

These effects were tested in a laboratory study, involving actual food tasting and repeated exposure across two sessions. Participants (N = 154) were invited to evaluate yoghurts with and without health-related information with a screen representation of the product packaging. Differences in product evaluations and attention paid to health-related information between the two sessions were recorded using both implicit and explicit methods.

Findings reveal that, despite a decrease in visual attention to health-related information, the perceived healthiness of the products remained stable. However, consumers reported lower perceived tastiness when health-related information was present. The findings underscore the importance of compelling taste experiences, as taste beliefs, in contrast to health beliefs, consistently influenced product liking. Finally, the findings emphasised the need for a comprehensive understanding of consumer reactions to healthier food products that considers both implicit and explicit responses.