With increasing demand for ready-to-eat (RTE) fresh vegetables, it is important to understand how visual information cues, both intrinsic and extrinsic, affect consumer perception of these products. This study developed an emotional and wellness lexicon related to RTE salads. Subsequent questionnaires with images of salads were used to quantify consumer (N = 150) emotional and hedonic perceptions related to green color shade, shape/size of pieces, multicolor scheme, product name, and packaging. The different visual cues significantly impacted emotions and their intensities. Qualitatively, feelings of health and wellness predominated across salad samples. Negative emotions were more influenced by size of piece and green-color (intrinsic), while positive emotions were influenced by viewing salads of multiple colors (intrinsic) and packaging (extrinsic). Pale green salads were generally less liked than darker green ones. Values, in one case, ranged from 4.39 to 7.28 (on a 9-point hedonic scale), but naming the product (“iceberg lettuce”) did raise the lowest score to 5.75. The addition of vegetables with orange and purple colors to the salad mix had a positive impact on the perception of pale green salads. This study demonstrated that intrinsic and extrinsic visual cues significantly influenced consumer emotions, hedonic perception and purchase intent of RTE salads, but the effects of extrinsic cues were generally less prominent.

Edible insects, a sustainable and nutritious alternative to conventionally derived proteins, are unfamiliar to Westerners and often associated with negative sentiments. Edible-cricket protein (ECP) added to chocolate brownies (CB) [0% ECP = CBWO (without) vs. 6% w/w ECP = CBW (with)], and disclosed information [no ECP added = (−) vs. ECP with benefits = (+), ECP− and ECP+, respectively] yielded four CB treatments (CBWO−, CBWO+, CBW−, and CBW+). Subjects (n = 112 female and n = 98 male) rated liking, selected emotions before- and after-tasting, and determined consumption (CI) and purchase intent (PI) after tasting. Likings were analyzed with mixed-effects ANOVA and post hoc Tukey’s HSD test. Emotions were evaluated with Cochran’s-Q test and correspondence analysis. Emotions driving or inhibiting overall liking (OL) were assessed with penalty-lift analyses using two-sample t-tests. A random forest algorithm was used to predict PI and estimate variables’ importance. Female’s and male’s expected OL were higher for CBWO− than for CBWO+. Females’ actual OL was higher for CBWO than for CBW regardless of the disclosed information but males’ actual OL was the same across treatments. Females exhibited negative-liking disconfirmation for CBW−. In both tasting conditions, the disclosed information affected treatments’ emotional profiles more than formulation. After-tasting emotions “happy” and “satisfied” were critical predictors of PI.

Currently, many consumers are reluctant to consume edible-cricket protein (ECP). Chocolate brownie (CB) formulations without (WO) and with (W) 6%w/w ECP (CBWO and CBW, respectively) were presented under two informed conditions: formulated without ECP (ECP−) and formulated with ECP+benefits (ECP+). CBWO− (CBWO presented with the “ECP−” claim), CBWO+ (CBWO presented with the “ECP+” claim), CBW− (CBW presented with the “ECP−” claim), and CBW+ (CBW presented with the “ECP+” claim) were evaluated by 210 consumers for expected and actual attribute liking, and after-tasting consumption and purchase intent. Multi-way ANOVA, principal component analysis, and agglomerative clustering examined liking. Cochran-Q tests compared actual-liking profiles, purchase and consumption intent. Before tasting, CBW− obtained the lowest appearance liking, flavor liking was higher for ECP− than for ECP+ for either formulation, and ECP+ decreased aroma and overall liking only for CBWO. After tasting, CBWO had higher liking than CBW (except for aroma) for either informed condition. Regardless of the formulation, ECP− and ECP+ had similar actual liking. Nevertheless, ECP+ prevented negative disconfirmation for both formulations while ECP− decreased texture liking (for CBWO) and all liking (for CBW) upon tasting. Females’ consumption intent was higher for CBWO regardless of the informed condition, but CBW+ achieved a similar purchase intent to CBWO− for both genders.

College students are challenged to consume healthy diets, and veterinary medical students may also have difficulty achieving optimal dietary intake, yet improved well-being is associated with following healthy dietary patterns. Individuals with food literacy—the inter-related knowledge, skills, and behaviors to plan and manage, select, prepare, and eat healthy foods—are better able to meet dietary recommendations. The Eating with Ease program developed and tested a nutrition education/culinary skill-building program to build first- and second-year veterinary medicine students’ food literacy and healthy behaviors toward food. The curriculum emphasized health and nutrition, taste, food preparation skills, planning/decision making, and convenience. Students engaged in four 30-minute sessions and communicated through a mobile group messaging application. Pre- and post-program scores on the Eating and Food Literacy Behaviors Questionnaire (EFLBQ) were compared between those who finished the intervention and a control group of graduate students who completed a money management program. The intervention group (n = 23) had a mean age of 24.2 years (SD = 2.6), and the control group (n = 14) had a mean age of 27.1 years (SD = 2.3). Most participants were female (87%, n = 20 and 79%, n = 11 in the intervention and control groups, respectively). After completing the program, the veterinary medical students’ mean EFLBQ factor change score for health and nutrition was significantly higher (p = .03) when compared to the control group. These findings suggest that a short, evidence-based nutrition education/culinary skill-building program may improve veterinary medical students’ behaviors to choose, prepare and consume healthy foods.