Organic Label's Effect on Sensory and Hedonic Evaluation of Popcorn

Presenter Information

Michael Anderson, Minnesota State University, Mankato
Hannah Thompson, Minnesota State University, Mankato
Abeer Albakri, Minnesota State University, Mankato
Kris Olson, Minnesota State University, Mankato

Location

CSU Ballroom

Start Date

2-4-2019 2:00 PM

End Date

2-4-2019 3:30 PM

Student's Major

Family Consumer Science

Student's College

Allied Health and Nursing

Mentor's Name

Joye Bond

Mentor's Department

Family Consumer Science

Mentor's College

Allied Health and Nursing

Description

The halo effect describes a phenomenon where a label positively influences consumers' perceptions of the product. Previous research has shown organic labels influence consumer perception of product flavor, healthfulness and increases consumer willingness to buy. A study evaluating yogurt, chips, and cookies failed to find significant difference between identical products labeled “organic” and “regular”. Another study found that an organic label on wine significantly increased evaluation by consumers. Currently, there is no research regarding the halo effect on organic popcorn. The purpose of this research was to determine if there is an organic halo effect on pre-popped popcorn, specifically consumer flavor perception. In this study, 50 participants at a retail grocery store were asked to taste two identical popcorn samples. Both samples were conventionally produced by the same company. One sample was labeled “organic” and one sample was labeled “non-organic.” The participants tasted each sample and ranked their liking of the flavor on a 9-point hedonic scale where 1= “dislike extremely” and 9 = “like extremely.” Consumers were asked to provide their gender, age group and answered a question about the frequency of their organically-labeled food purchasing habits. The results of the study showed that participants liked the flavor of the “organic” popcorn significantly more (p=.018) than popcorn labeled non-organic, providing evidence there is a halo effect of an organic label on pre-popped popcorn. Further research could include evaluating if consumer education about the halo effect prior to sensory evaluation mediates the halo effect of an organic label.