The Power of A Word

It was with surprise that I read the results of a couple of recent studies looking at the power of one word.  A 2023 experiment from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) revealed that when foods are labelled as vegan, people are less likely to choose them.  Another study from 2022 discovered the same effect.  “Vegan” indicates foods that are prepared without animal products like meat, eggs or butter.  This means that they are healthier both for us and for our planet.  If this is so, why are many people less likely to select foods labelled as vegan?

In the 2023 research, two separate studies took place with one of them coinciding with a university event and the other being conducted on-line.  Nearly 160 college students took part in the live event trial while the on-line trial included almost 700 participants. The participants of both trials randomly received order forms on which menu options were either labeled as (vegan) or were without the label and participants were asked to pre-order a lunch.  Example food choices included such dishes as vegetable ravioli versus cheese ravioli and a vegetable hummus wrap versus a Greek salad with feta cheese.  The college students at the university event who had unlabelled menu options preferred the vegan option whereas those who had a labelled menu chose the non-vegan option.  In the on-line study, some participants had order forms with vegan labels while others had only an ingredient list.  Results again show the negative impact of labels.  Participants who had the form with labels chose the vegan option 36.6% of the time while those who had non-labelled forms chose the vegan option 42.7% of the time.  (A)

That was not the first investigation into the effect of the vegan label.  In 2022 researchers found similar results in their look at “randomly-vegan” products or foods that just happen to be vegan.  There are many of them, but examples include salads, soups and pastas, ethnic foods from countries like India and Ethiopia, and many bread products.  In this study, adding “vegan” to the label changed the perception of the food.  Study participants characterized vegan-labelled foods as inferior, less tasty and unsatisfying. The researchers suggest that this reaction is due to reactance, a psychology term for the push back we feel when it seems as though someone is telling us what to do.  (B)

Unfortunately, the word “vegan” has connotations of deprivation and lack of taste.  In addition, it appears to convey a perception of smugness from its users and even criticism of others. Interestingly, the similar word “vegetarian” doesn’t raise the same implications that “vegan” does.  (B)

So, what is the answer to this conundrum? The MIT researchers suggest reducing our reliance on labels.  Leave the “vegan”, “vegetarian”, “plant-based”, “veggie” and “meatless Monday” messages off our food packaging and restaurant menus.  A description of the food along with an ingredient list and allergen warnings should be enough to let the purchaser make their own choices without feeling like they’re being told what to choose.

It is disappointing that one word can make people turn away from eating more healthfully, when even just a few food choice tweaks can result in better health.  For instance, simple changes such as chopping up colourful veggies like red peppers and dark leafy greens to add colour and phytonutrients to a salad, soup or stew are easy to do.  Test out some of the many plant-sourced milks in your morning cereal or coffee.   Select whole fruits as a dessert, especially the vividly coloured ones like berries, melons, oranges and apples.  Make them extra special by melting dark chocolate to use as a light drizzle over the fruit.  Experiment with tempeh, a lightly fermented soy product that takes on the delicious taste of the sauce, herbs and spices that you use in its preparation.  Tempeh is a great source of protein and a good substitute for animal-sourced products.  Consumers can read the nutritional information that is included on most foods to help out with their choices.

There is a world of healthy delicious food out there.  It is not necessary to make dietary alterations all at once, although that is the fastest way to reach optimal health.  You can slowly test the waters or jump right in.  But you’ll never experience the health-giving results if you never try the food.

 

SOURCES:

A  Berke, A., Larson, K.  The negative impact of vegetarian and vegan labels: Results from randomized controlled experiments with US consumers. Appetite. Sept.1, 2023; Volume 188, Article 106767; ISSN 0195-6663; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2023.106767.

B  Stremmel, G., Elshiewy, O., Boztug, Y., Carneiro-Otto, F.  Vegan labeling for what is already vegan: Product perceptions and consumption intentions.  Appetite. August 2022; Volume 175; 106048.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2022.106048