Health labels influence flavour perception

Researchers at Ghent University in Belgium found that food labels influence the perception of flavour. In an experiment, the participants tasted the same cheese several times without knowing it, but each time with a different label. The results showed that the 'light' label associated with a lower fat content, leads to a lower overall liking of the cheese. Cheese with a claim about a reduced salt content, on the other hand, was labeled as equally delicious as regular cheese. Furthermore, the researchers found that the flavour that we expected with a particular tag was experienced even more. An article about the research is published in Nutrients (News Item Ghent University, 11 December 2015).
Click here for the news item.
Click here for the published article (1.44 MB).

If you have any questions about this subject, please contact us: info@nvc.nl, +31-(0)182-512411. This item is also included in our monthly overview, the NVC Members-only Update.