Go Vegan? Prejudice, (Blind) Experimentation, and Food Choices

We examine the role of prejudice and experimentation in the evaluation of a nonmainstream product. We conduct a randomized controlled experiment where participants evaluate a plant-based product. We vary (i) whether they can taste the product, (ii) whether the tasting is blind, and (iii) the timing of when they are informed that the product is plant-based. We find that blind and nonblind tasting significantly raise taste evaluations. However, blind experimentation is associated with the lowest willingness to pay. In short, blinding does not help overcome prejudice in contrast to findings in labor economics in the context of hiring decisions.