The health halo: how good PR is misleading shoppers

Don’t let your guard down when you see items labeled with healthy-sounding terms and don’t assume there is a correlation between things without proof. Know what you are eating by paying close attention to the nutritional information and, just as importantly, the recommended serving size.

• This effect often leads to consumers confusing “low fat” with “low calorie”, which results in the overconsumption of the former.
• When choosing between similar products with different names, consumers prefer products with healthier-sounding names.
• If you are eating at a restaurant you believe is healthy, you assume that the food choices you are making are healthy as well.
• People who think their meal is healthy are more likely to add side dishes, drinks and desserts, resulting in over twice as many additional calories.
• Items marketed by firms known as socially responsible stewards are assumed to be better and healthier products.