Making salt-reduced products more appealing to consumers: impact of front-of-pack messages on liking and table salt use over time

Abstract

AbstractObjectiveThe current study investigated the impact of different front-of-pack messages on liking, salt perception and table salt use of salt-reduced soups over repeated consumption.DesignIn a between-subjects design, participants consumed a chicken noodle soup five times over 3 weeks. Participants were assigned to one of five experimental conditions and were categorized into three ‘Interest in Salt Reduction’ groups based on their self-reported interest in salt reduction. They consumed a regular-salt soup or a 30 % salt-reduced soup, either with or without a front-of-pack message (nutritional, sensory or social based). Liking, salt perception and table salt use were measured at each consumption.SettingCentral location test.SubjectsBritish consumers (n 493) aged 24–65 years.ResultsThe soups remained stable in liking over repeated consumption, with no significant differences between the experimental conditions. However, liking did differ among the different Interest in Salt Reduction groups: the ‘not aware, no action’ group liked salt-reduced soups with a nutritional message the most, whereas the ‘aware and action’ group liked salt-reduced soups with a social message the most. There was no change in the amount of table salt added as people got more familiar with the salt-reduced soups, suggesting a strong role for habit in table salt use.ConclusionsIt mattered whether consumers were thinking about reducing their salt intake or not: a communication message tailored to a country’s interest in reducing salt is recommended to motivate consumers to lower their salt intake.