Yann Cornil presents at the Consumer Behaviour Webinar Series

The Impact of Sensory Imagery and Sensory Menus on Food Portion Choice, Savoring, and Eating Enjoyment: Evidence from Lab Experiments and from a Restaurant Study

Thursday, February 11th, 2016 | 11:00-12:15pm

Research on overeating assumes that pleasure must be sacrificed for the sake of good health. Contrary to this view, we show that focusing on sensory pleasure can make people happier and willing to spend more for less food, a triple win for public health, consumers and businesses alike. In several experiments, American and French adults and children were asked to imagine vividly the taste, smell and oro-haptic sensations of hedonic foods prior to choosing a portion size of another hedonic food. Compared to a control condition, this “multisensory imagery” intervention led hungry and non-dieting people to choose smaller food portions, yet they anticipated greater eating enjoyment. In contrast, health-based interventions led people to choose a smaller portion than the one they expected to enjoy most.

In a new study taking place in an experimental restaurant, we replicate these findings with 109 consumers paying for their meal. We show that “sensory menus” (menus with sensory information) led consumers to order smaller portions and increased savoring and post-meal satisfaction, compared with “calorie labeling menus” and “control menus”.