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Article

Right Sizing: Sensory-Based Product Design Is a Promising Strategy to Nudge Consumers toward Healthier Portions

Nestlé Institute of Material Sciences, Nestlé Research, Vers-chez-les-Blanc, 1000 Lausanne 26, Switzerland
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Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Nutrients 2018, 10(10), 1544; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu10101544
Submission received: 21 August 2018 / Revised: 16 October 2018 / Accepted: 17 October 2018 / Published: 19 October 2018
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Portion Size in Relation to Diet and Health)

Abstract

Research has shown that people consume more food when offered larger portions, and that reducing exposure to large food portions and packages could decrease the average daily energy consumed. In this context, our aim is to develop strategies to promote healthier eating behaviors by reducing portion selection and intake. The present research investigates the impact of different visual attributes of foods on quantity perception and portion selection. In the first study, we tested whether modifying the shape of a familiar food influenced the ideal portion size in adults. In the second study, we assessed the impact of shape, number of units, size, and color variety on a perceived quantity for a familiar multiunit product in children. Participants (N1 = 70 adults, N2 = 62 children) completed different picture-based computer tasks. As hypothesized: (1) adults selected a smaller ideal portion size for an elongated product than for wider and thicker shapes, and (2) children’s perception of food quantity was primarily driven by number of pieces, with smaller effects of size and elongation. Perceived quantity was not influenced by color variety. These findings suggest that it may be possible to reduce the size of food portions without negatively impacting perceived quantity, and to provide opportunities to nudge consumers towards smaller portions while maintaining satisfaction.
Keywords: sensory; food design; portion size; nudging; behavior; food choice sensory; food design; portion size; nudging; behavior; food choice

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MDPI and ACS Style

Labbe, D.; R. Fries, L.; Ferrage, A.; Lenfant, F.; Godinot, N.; Martin, N. Right Sizing: Sensory-Based Product Design Is a Promising Strategy to Nudge Consumers toward Healthier Portions. Nutrients 2018, 10, 1544. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu10101544

AMA Style

Labbe D, R. Fries L, Ferrage A, Lenfant F, Godinot N, Martin N. Right Sizing: Sensory-Based Product Design Is a Promising Strategy to Nudge Consumers toward Healthier Portions. Nutrients. 2018; 10(10):1544. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu10101544

Chicago/Turabian Style

Labbe, David, Lisa R. Fries, Aurore Ferrage, Francine Lenfant, Nicolas Godinot, and Nathalie Martin. 2018. "Right Sizing: Sensory-Based Product Design Is a Promising Strategy to Nudge Consumers toward Healthier Portions" Nutrients 10, no. 10: 1544. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu10101544

APA Style

Labbe, D., R. Fries, L., Ferrage, A., Lenfant, F., Godinot, N., & Martin, N. (2018). Right Sizing: Sensory-Based Product Design Is a Promising Strategy to Nudge Consumers toward Healthier Portions. Nutrients, 10(10), 1544. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu10101544

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