Food marketers are paying increasingly closer attention to how products are packaged following compelling studies about how consumers perceive items based on how they are presented. Various studies have shown that people perceive the same food differently if it's served on different colored plates. More comprehensive research, however, must be conducted before drawing conclusions that point to a consistent pattern in behavior. Here are reasons why marketers of chocolate, biscuits and confectionery can benefit from color analysis.
Food and Color Perception Study
A team of researchers (Betina Piqueras-Fiszman, Camille Schwartz, Agnes Giboreaub and Charles Spence) from prestigious institutions conducted a two-week study on how plate color influences perceptions of a complex food in a restaurant environment. Collaborating organizations of the study included:
- Institut Paul Bocuse (Lyon, France)
- Department of Engineering Projects. Universitat Politècnica de València
- Department of Experimental Psychology at University of Oxford
The study consisted of 253 participants who happened to book a table at a restaurant in France then were asked to complete a questionnaire about the appearance and flavor of the food. The results varied based on the type of dessert that was served, but generally confirmed the notion that plate color can play a significant role in how people perceive certain food.
Surrounding Colors
In a culinary context, colors of not just food and drinks, but surroundings, cups, plates and tablecloths can also be influential. Factors that affected serving size participants chose included contrasting colors and plate size. White plates on a black tablecloth, for example, correlated with larger serving sizes than those with the larger plate and the target serving size, but less than the smaller plate with less than the target serving size. Further observations showed that people involved with low color contrast (such as white pasta on a white plate) gave themselves larger servings than people in a high color contrast scenario.
Study participants were also asked to rate food based on how appetizing it was, yielding similar results in which higher scores went to desserts on white plates rather than black plates. When it came to rating flavor intensity, however, plate color made no significant difference, but perception of flavor intensity did correspond with perception of color intensity. When desserts included multiple colors, it was unclear as to how color affected perception of flavor. Overall, the study did not try to make generalizations that can be projected on a larger population.
Why Interest Is Growing In Color
Scientists are learning that people's perception of food is based on more than just taste. Evidence suggests that expectations about food are also a factor, as well as the context in which the food is presented. The question becomes: to what degree does appearance influence a person's perception of flavor? Several studies, including one conducted by Shankar, Levitan & Spence in 2010, have shown that the color of a food or drink can play a big part in perception of flavor.
The reason marketers of chocolate, biscuits and confectionery want to know more about the relationship between color and taste is so that they can provide consumers with more appealing choices. Marketers must look for repeated studies, though, before jumping to conclusions, since not all people may respond the same way to color schemes.
Conclusion
The future of chocolate, biscuits and confectionery may be enhanced colors that provide consumers with a more enjoyable eating experience if research continues to point toward people linking perceptions of color and flavor. Various studies have shown how color and color contrasts can affect people's opinion of food. Evidence and concepts help using color to make specifc foods more appealing to consumers. Desjardin has been producing packaging for Chocolates , Biscuits and Confectionery packaging for more than 100 years. The company's experts are at your service to help you find the right packaging to support your products' success.
Disclaimer:
The postings in this blog section do not necessarily represent Desjardin's positions, strategies or opinions.
