Number Food Health Characteristics

Why did a group of consumers who were told, “This bottle of olive oil is made from the extract of 80 ounces of olives. It is a valuable addition to your healthy eating habits,” consider the contents to be more healthful than did a group of similar consumers who were told, “This bottle of olive oil is made from the extract of a high concentration of olives. It is a valuable addition to your healthy eating habits”?
     Shahin Sharifi, the La Trobe University researcher who designed the study, answers that it’s due to inclusion of a number. Consumers are accustomed to using numbers—such as for package size and nutrient amounts—to assess foods.
     In the studies, magnitude of the number didn’t matter much as long as it plausibly portrayed what quantity of olives would be contained in a bottle of olive oil and olive oil was perceived as a healthy food. The description “made from the extract of 5 lbs of olives” worked about the same as “made from the extract of 80 ounces of olives.”
     But it did make a difference what the number was describing. In another of the studies, participants were told the olive oil had a top rating on a standard food healthfulness scale—five stars in the Health Star Rating system. Now the participants’ average rating was less affected by whether or not they had also been told the bottle contained the extract of 80 ounces of olives. The HSR scale rating was what principally persuaded the consumer. Absent HSR, including a number in a product content description could mislead about healthfulness.
     Tips for using another rating system—the NuVal, in which each integer rating is based on the relevance of the item’s contents to health conditions like diabetes and heart disease—came from Boston College and University of Pittsburgh studies: 

• Range familiarity. The NuVal system uses a range of 1 to 100. This allows shoppers to easily sense the relative value of a score of 63 compared to a 37, for instance. 
• Convenience. Most consumers balance healthfulness against price in making purchase decisions. To assist that, place the nutrition ratings on the same shelf tags and signage as the price and in an easy-to-read font style and size. 
• Credibility. Train store staff to answer questions about the system in ways which are easily understood. Brochures or signage explaining the system can be helpful.

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