Foods with a shorter shelf life are seen as more natural and healthier
For years, nutrition experts have warned about the many risks of eating ultra-processed foods, including obesity, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Instead, they advise consumers to choose more natural foods.
A recent study from the UBC Sauder School of Business suggests that consumers are increasingly using product shelf lives as a way to determine if a food is natural and healthy. The research, published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology, found that shorter shelf life products were perceived as more natural and healthier compared to longer shelf life items.
Even when the longer shelf life was due to better packaging rather than ultra-processing, consumers still chose the shorter shelf life products when naturalness was the focus. This trend may lead to increased food waste, as consumers may opt for products they won't have time to consume before they spoil. Experts believe that the shift in nutrition science, which now focuses on the dangers of highly processed foods, may be contributing to this perception.
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