Taste perception affected by brand

[Ace Pace]

Link.

Good food, like good art, is subjective. Although guides like Zagat and Michelin attempt to quantify which restaurants are better than their peers, in the end it comes down to the tastebuds and, as new research shows, their minds too.

The first study, from researchers at Stanford and Johns Hopkins and published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine1, tested the effect of branding on taste preferences in young children. The subjects, in this case 95 children aged between three and five, were given the choice of identical foods, one identified as coming from the fast food giant McDonalds, and the other not.

The researchers offered the children hamburgers, fries, chicken nuggets, carrots, and milk. In each test, they were presented with two samples of the same item, one with the a McDonalds wrapper or container, and one with a generic white container. The food was all sourced from McDonalds, with the exception of the carrots.

With the exception of the hamburger, the children all overwhelmingly preferred the food that was presented in McDonalds packaging, including the carrots, which are not sold or marketed by the fast food company. Preferences for the branded food increased with both the frequency of McDonalds consumption and the number of TV sets in the home. The effects were observed across both English-speakers and non-English-speaking children.

A second study on the same general area says a little more about this topic. In a study to be published later this year in the journal Physiology and Behavior2, scientists at Cornell discovered that diners’ appreciation of their meal could be influenced by where they thought their wine originated from. The subjects were either diners in a restaurant in Illinois, or MBA students at a wine and cheese reception.

All were given the same inexpensive Charles Shaw wine, but half were told it was from Noah’s Winery in California, and half from Noah’s Winery in North Dakota. Those subjects who believed their wine was Californian rated their food more enjoyable and, in the case of the restaurant diners, were more likely to make a repeat reservation, than those who thought their plonk came from North Dakota.

Coming back to that original point about the guides, could it be that, as far as the food goes, the scores are self-perpetuating? OK, to have 3 Michelin stars you need a lot more than just good food, but if you’re walking in with positive assumptions about the quality of the meal you’re about to eat, these findings suggest you’re going to enjoy it.

[Pollux]

Link.

Good food, like good art, is subjective. Although guides like Zagat and Michelin attempt to quantify which restaurants are better than their peers, in the end it comes down to the tastebuds and, as new research shows, their minds too.

The first study, from researchers at Stanford and Johns Hopkins and published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine1, tested the effect of branding on taste preferences in young children. The subjects, in this case 95 children aged between three and five, were given the choice of identical foods, one identified as coming from the fast food giant McDonalds, and the other not.

The researchers offered the children hamburgers, fries, chicken nuggets, carrots, and milk. In each test, they were presented with two samples of the same item, one with the a McDonalds wrapper or container, and one with a generic white container. The food was all sourced from McDonalds, with the exception of the carrots.

With the exception of the hamburger, the children all overwhelmingly preferred the food that was presented in McDonalds packaging, including the carrots, which are not sold or marketed by the fast food company. Preferences for the branded food increased with both the frequency of McDonalds consumption and the number of TV sets in the home. The effects were observed across both English-speakers and non-English-speaking children.

A second study on the same general area says a little more about this topic. In a study to be published later this year in the journal Physiology and Behavior2, scientists at Cornell discovered that diners’ appreciation of their meal could be influenced by where they thought their wine originated from. The subjects were either diners in a restaurant in Illinois, or MBA students at a wine and cheese reception.

All were given the same inexpensive Charles Shaw wine, but half were told it was from Noah’s Winery in California, and half from Noah’s Winery in North Dakota. Those subjects who believed their wine was Californian rated their food more enjoyable and, in the case of the restaurant diners, were more likely to make a repeat reservation, than those who thought their plonk came from North Dakota.

Coming back to that original point about the guides, could it be that, as far as the food goes, the scores are self-perpetuating? OK, to have 3 Michelin stars you need a lot more than just good food, but if you’re walking in with positive assumptions about the quality of the meal you’re about to eat, these findings suggest you’re going to enjoy it.

Those kids have no fucking taste.

[Scottish Ninja]

This reminds me of the scene in this Penn & Teller where they serve water from the hose, packaged in fancy bottles, to diners in a restaurant, and they all agreed that it was better than tap water and made comments about the varying tastes.

[chitoryu12]

I haven't gotten that bad, though I do prefer specific brands. To me, Sam's Choice (The Wal-Mart brand) makes better-tasting colas and bottled water, even though I have checked the ingredients list and found them almost exactly the same as other brands. However, I don't think it counts as actually believing in the quality of one brand based on another at the level demonstrated on Penn & Teller.

[Elaro]

Well, for differing brands of cola, the different companies just might have a slight variation in the proportion of the various ingredients, but I'm not sure.

As for the OP, though, I think it might have something to do with feeling like something is a treat. Going to Mcdonald's, especially if the kids are exposed to lots of commercials, is perceived by the kids as a "special treat", then they're going to enjoy it more. Same thing with the wine. Case in point: in my childhood, my parents would only rarely buy Kraft Dinner (and we were exposed to lotsa commercials regarding the subject). Thus, we liked Kraft Dinner because it was regarded as a treat by us kids. Contrairewise, our cousins, who had not been as exposed to advertising as us, regarded KD with slight disgust.

So, my point: if something you eat is associated in your mind with being a treat, you'll like it more! (Which is a rephrase of the article's point. My post is a waste of space. )

[ArmorPierce]

As a kid until recent years, I loved mcdonalds. It had little to do with me thinking it was a special treat (I ate it, wendys and whatnot most nights of the week). Back then, I actually did like the taste better. I think it has to do with kids having hyperactive taste buds compared to adults.

[General Zod]

Well, for differing brands of cola, the different companies just might have a slight variation in the proportion of the various ingredients, but I'm not sure.

As for the OP, though, I think it might have something to do with feeling like something is a treat. Going to Mcdonald's, especially if the kids are exposed to lots of commercials, is perceived by the kids as a "special treat", then they're going to enjoy it more. Same thing with the wine. Case in point: in my childhood, my parents would only rarely buy Kraft Dinner (and we were exposed to lotsa commercials regarding the subject). Thus, we liked Kraft Dinner because it was regarded as a treat by us kids. Contrairewise, our cousins, who had not been as exposed to advertising as us, regarded KD with slight disgust.

So, my point: if something you eat is associated in your mind with being a treat, you'll like it more! (Which is a rephrase of the article's point. My post is a waste of space. )

Of course that only seems to really apply for stuff that's very formulaic and comes prepackaged (I'm looking at you McDonald's). Food that requires effort to make is generally going to taste very distinctive when made by different people.