Anyone can tell you that the contents of food labels have an important impact the way a food item is perceived. A Cornell study done on the way we think of foods in different packaging shows an existing mental link between “organic” labels and positive qualities the food is thought to contain. Whether or not an item actually is “organic” doesn’t seem to matter as much as the pre-existing notions present in the minds of consumers. The more than 100 subjects of the study saw their own confirmation bias influencing their decisions without them being aware, as they tasted two “different” versions of a food (that were actually identical) and then ascribed positive qualities to the one labeled “organic.”
Those surveyed were asked to rate “organic” foods in terms of different categories, such as taste and calorie value. Though the results weren’t consistent across the board, overall the researchers concluded that specific labels could swing unsuspecting buyers into certain directions.
“Given the disparity between the intended message and actual consumer perception, more caution should be taken in determining whether and how the organic label – as well as other health claims – should be included on a given food package,” the study concluded. The researchers also warned that producers have been taking advantage of these pre-established associations in their advertising, and that the government should “take this into account.”
Images and printed messages have a power beyond what most people estimate, even in this overly saturated day and age. Making labels carries with it a certain responsibility to stand behind what those labels say: the use of an efficient custom label printer can be one way manufacturers maintain responsibility for their products.
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