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One Man'S Tall Is Another Man'S Small: How The Framing Of Portion Size Influences Food Choice

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  • David R. Just
  • Brian Wansink

Abstract

Labels such as ‘Large’ or ‘Super‐size’ are often used to describe portion sizes. How do these normative labels influence consumer choice and how much they ultimately either consume or waste? Although one might believe that firms use normative labels to impact choice behavior through loss aversion, a field experiment shows consumer's willingness to pay is inconsistent with a loss aversion explanation. Although portions were clearly visible, individuals appeared to use the labels as objective information about their size. Importantly, a second study showed these labels also led people to eat less when food was given a larger sounding name than a smaller name (double vs. regular; regular vs. half‐size). If labels are used as size information, policies governing normative names could help reduce food consumption or reduce waste. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Suggested Citation

  • David R. Just & Brian Wansink, 2014. "One Man'S Tall Is Another Man'S Small: How The Framing Of Portion Size Influences Food Choice," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 23(7), pages 776-791, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:hlthec:v:23:y:2014:i:7:p:776-791
    DOI: 10.1002/hec.2949
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Brennan Davis & Collin R. Payne & My Bui, 2016. "Making Small Food Units Seem Regular: How Larger Table Size Reduces Calories to Be Consumed," Journal of the Association for Consumer Research, University of Chicago Press, vol. 1(1), pages 115-124.
    2. Just, David R. & Gabrielyan, Gnel, 2018. "Influencing the food choices of SNAP consumers: Lessons from economics, psychology and marketing," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 309-317.
    3. Claudia Symmank, 2019. "Extrinsic and intrinsic food product attributes in consumer and sensory research: literature review and quantification of the findings," Management Review Quarterly, Springer, vol. 69(1), pages 39-74, February.
    4. J. M. Bauer & L. A. Reisch, 2019. "Behavioural Insights and (Un)healthy Dietary Choices: a Review of Current Evidence," Journal of Consumer Policy, Springer, vol. 42(1), pages 3-45, March.

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