In one, participants compared potato chips with five-month and nine-month shelf lives. They rated the chips with the shorter shelf life as more natural and healthier, while those with the longer shelf life were considered more environmentally friendly and better for reducing waste.
In another experiment, participants chose between pasta sauces with one- and three-year shelf lives. When the researchers emphasized the importance of consuming natural foods, nearly 70% chose the item with the one-year shelf life. When they emphasized the importance of protecting the environment, that number fell to 43%.
Even when participants were shown that the only reason for a product’s longer shelf life was better packaging (a high-performance seal on a mayonnaise jar), they opted for the mayo with a shorter shelf life when naturalness mattered. Likewise, when participants were shown two granola bars with nearly identical ingredients and nutritional information but different shelf lives, they still chose the bar with the shorter shelf life when naturalness mattered.
🔗 Foods with a shorter shelf life are seen as more natural and healthier
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