Size
matters when convincing your brain to eat healthier foods
Variety may trump
virtue when it comes to the struggle to eat healthy, says a Vanderbilt
marketing professor who studies consumer self-control and endorses
"vice-virtue bundles" combining nutritious and not-so-nutritious
foods.
"We suggest a
simple … solution that can help consumers who would otherwise choose vice over
virtue to simultaneously increase consumption of healthy foods (virtues) and
decrease consumption of unhealthy foods (vices) while still fulfilling taste
goals -- 'vice-virtue bundles,'" Kelly L. Haws, associate professor of
management at Vanderbilt's Owen Graduate School of Management, said.
The idea is to not give
up entirely foods that provide pleasure but aren't nutritious. Instead, the
focus should be on lowering the portion of the "vice" foods and
correspondingly raising the portion of a healthy food to replace it.
Haws is among five
researchers who lay out their findings in "Vice-Virtue Bundles," a
paper under review for publication.
Vice-virtue bundles
could also be the answer for many in the food service industry who are actively
seeking out healthy food options that consumers will voluntarily choose, Haws
said.
"Given that
consumers consistently find vice-virtue bundles to be attractive, managers
should consider adding vice-virtue bundles to their product lines," Haws
said.
"For restaurants
and food vendors that already offer pure vice and virtue options, vice --
virtue bundles provide an opportunity for product line expansion through
existing items rather than through development of completely new offerings.
"This provides a
potential opportunity for cost-savings, as many food establishments devote
considerable resources to developing new product offerings, which can in turn
increase inventory or production costs."
This round of research
did not mix in any pricing or marketing components, but the researchers say it
would be easy for restaurants to pursue such experiments on their own.
"With the right
marketing and the right choice sets, we believe that vice-virtue bundles offer
exciting directions for future research and practice aimed at maximizing health
without compromising tastes," the researchers concluded.
Haws' research
interests are related to consumer behavior, with a focus on issues relevant to
consumer welfare, specifically with respect to food/health and financial
decision making. Her interests include consumer self-control, strategies for
improving food consumption and behavioral pricing.
The report can be found
online at: http://www.gsb.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/documents/mktg_05_14_Haws.pdf
Story Source:
The above story is
based on materials provided by Vanderbilt University. The original
article was written by Jim Patterson. Note:
Materials may be edited for content and length.
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Vanderbilt University.
"Size matters when convincing your brain to eat healthier foods." Science Daily,
11 August 2014. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/08/140811180253.htm>.
