Hedonic Ratings of Nutrient-Modified Foods

Two experiments were conducted to examine the effects of nutrition information on hedonic ratings of nutrient-modified foods. In Experiment I, 100 college-age students used nine-point hedonic scales to indicate how much they liked a commercially available reduced-fat chocolate chip muffin. Fifty students were told that the muffin was reduced-fat, and 50 were not told. Mean hedonic scores were significantly (p < 0.05) lower for those who received the information, indicating that the muffin was less acceptable to these students. Most students were consumers of reduced-fat foods and reported consuming reduced-fat foods either “once in awhile” or “regularly.” Experiment II was conducted in the same manner as Experiment I; 100 students rated a commercially available calcium-fortified orange juice. Nutrition information had no significant effect (p > 0.05) on hedonic ratings. For both experiments, students were readers of food labels; the majority reported reading labels either “frequently” or “sometimes” when buying food products in a grocery store. Differences in results for the two experiments might be attributed to students' expectations of and experiences with reduced-fat foods as well as students' knowledge of the importance of fat and calcium in the diet.