Can language affect food attractiveness?

Abstract

The language used on food packaging, advertisements or at restaurants to describe food can influence consumers and the nutritious choices they make. When eating out, one is confronted with factors on restaurant menus such as calorie labels, photos of tempting foods and mouth-watering meal descriptions. By changing menu elements such as food descriptions, people may be more inclined to choose healthy dishes over less healthy options. The current study investigated whether the type of language combined with the healthiness of meals on restaurant menus had a significant effect on order intention, for the first time in Dutch. The different language types were categorised into three levels, namely indulgent, healthy and neutral food words. In an online experiment, 143 participants filled in a questionnaire and rated twelve dishes on 7-point Likert scales. Compared to indulgent and neutral food descriptions, health focused language reduced order intention.