Shoppers buying food with organic label

SHOPPERS are buying more expensive organic products because they believe they taste better and are healthier, new research shows.

An organic label changes consumers’ perceptions through what is known as the “health halo effect” by influencing the number of calories people think it contains, and even the flavour.

A study of 115 volunteers asked to compare yogurts, biscuits and crisps found the foods scored higher when marked “organic” rather than “regular”. They were not told all the products were organic and identical.

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The biscuits and yogurt were estimated to have significantly fewer calories when labelled “organic”, and people were willing to pay almost a quarter (23.4 per cent) more for them.

The nutritional aspects were also greatly biased, with the “organic” biscuits and yogurt said to taste “lower in fat” than the “regular” variety and the “organic” biscuits and crisps thought to be more nutritious.

The label even tricked people’s taste buds with the “organic” crisps apparently more appetising and the yogurt more flavoursome. “Regular” biscuits were reported to taste better, possibly because people often believe healthy foods are not tasty.

The researchers at Cornell University, New York, said: “All the foods were exactly the same, but a simple organic label made all the difference.” However, the “health halo” was lessened for regular buyers of organic food.

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