DOI: 10.18848/2160-1933/cgp/a248 ISSN: 2160-1941

Reframing Health Through Taste

Wakako Yoshimura, Takumi Kato
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Reducing salt intake is a major challenge in contemporary diets. However, reduced-salt foods often suffer from diminished taste expectations, frequently discouraging consumer acceptance. This study examines an alternative approach for communicating health-oriented foods by focusing on how the meanings of taste and health are constructed using product descriptive labels. Rather than emphasizing explicit reduced-salt claims, we developed flavor descriptions that foregrounded the natural taste of the ingredients. Drawing on research on descriptive labeling and framing, ingredient branding, and health consciousness, we propose that emphasizing the natural taste of ingredients can mitigate the perceived trade-off between healthiness and deliciousness. To test this, a randomized controlled trial was conducted with 800 Japanese consumers aged 20 to 60 years, comparing reduced-salt labels with ingredient-focused descriptive labels. The results show that ingredient-focused labels significantly enhance perceived deliciousness and purchase intention, while perceived healthiness remains unchanged. These effects are particularly pronounced among health-conscious consumers, suggesting that such consumers experience a psychological dilemma when evaluating health-oriented foods. These findings contribute to the literature by demonstrating that concept-based descriptive labeling can reframe health-related meanings through culturally embedded taste narratives. The study further provides practical implications for food labeling and public health communication by highlighting the importance of aligning health messages with consumers’ sensory and cultural expectations.

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