Investigating the role of health halos and reactance in ice cream choice

Nutrition labels, sensory experience, and consumers' preconceived notions about products can affect their purchasing and eating decisions. The proliferation of low-calorie and vegan ice creams in supermarkets provides an interesting test-case for how health, general liking, and psychological factors like halo effects and reactance contribute to product choice. In our study, 223 participants tasted three cinnamon-bun flavored ice cream samples: super-premium, vegan, and low-calorie. Participants were assigned to one of three conditions. Condition one received no information about the three ice creams. Condition two received photos of the product containers, the ingredients, and the nutrition labels. Condition three received the same product information as condition two, along with a warning about the health consequences of eating too much sugar and fat. After tasting each sample, participants rated how much they liked the sample and its perceived healthfulness, and then indicated the sample they preferred overall. Participants in all conditions believed that the vegan ice cream was healthier than the super-premium ice cream, providing evidence of a health halo effect. Participants ranked the super-premium ice cream as tasting the best across all conditions. Liking rating was the strongest predictor of overall ice cream preference as indicated by participants' preferred ice cream being the super-premium. The research findings have implications for nutrition educators and marketers, reinforcing that liking is a large driver of product choice, that health halos around vegan products exist, and that a text health warning does not dissuade people from choosing an indulgent option.