Scientists have explained the surprising factor in choosing products in stores

Marketing and health promotion are getting in the way of buying healthy food

Until recently, no one understood what motivated people to choose certain foods, and marketers knew what consumers bought but not why. So scientists studied shoppers' choice strategies, hoping to use that information to help them make healthier choices.

Photo: Natalia Mushchinkina

If you imagine yourself in your favorite supermarket, when you stand in front of the cereal aisle, you might be overwhelmed by the number of alternatives: some products are labeled as “low-fat,” others as “all natural,” and the “farm-raised” brand in the supermarket sits next to the top brands you would normally choose.

Until recently, no one knew what motivated purchasing decisions. That's why the University of Antwerp conducted a study in which they repeatedly asked people to choose between two products and analyzed their decisions. They found that there are three types of buyers: the first group invariably chooses the healthiest product available, the second group always chooses their favorite brand, and the third group deliberately chooses the least healthy product.

The decisions of this particular group may seem strange, but their reasoning is based on the intuitive understanding that “healthy foods cannot be tasty.” The fact is that the European Union is currently engaged in a heated debate about whether to make food labeling mandatory across Europe. At the same time, a significant portion of consumers believe that healthy foods taste bad.

The researchers were most interested in the effect of a new brand called Nutri-Score. It was designed to help people choose their food, and is now in the process of becoming an official European brand. The label may not tell you anything about the price of the product, but at least you know what you are paying for: it tells you how healthy the product is.

Nutri-Score was developed by scientists. It took them four years of collaboration, development, calculations, testing and refinement to create this brand, which is still regularly assessed and updated. There is no “health promotion” for the sake of selling a product. The Nutri-Score label assigns ratings based on the relative healthiness of a product. The best nutritional rating is “A” and the worst is “E”.

Before checking the Nutri-Score, you will have to turn over each yogurt and navigate the numbers and terms on the back of each package. The scientists also created a nutrient rating: to evaluate comparable options within a product category.

The scientists emphasize that Nutri-Score is not a marketing scam and can be a very effective tool if used within a specific product category.

All people make purchases based on their personal priorities, as well as based on what they think they know about the products. Unfortunately, marketing, existing beliefs, and “gut feelings,” no matter how reasonable they may seem, can be misleading. Researchers are working hard to provide everyone with easy-to-understand information about the products on supermarket shelves so that everyone can make informed decisions about what they buy and improve their health in the process!