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Preparation (mis)perception: effects of involvement on food attributes and desirability

Sarah Lefebvre (Department of Management, Marketing, and Business Administration, Murray State University, Murray, Kentucky, USA)
Marissa Orlowski (Rosen College of Hospitality Management, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, USA)

British Food Journal

ISSN: 0007-070X

Article publication date: 28 October 2020

Issue publication date: 20 January 2021

281

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to assess the effect of involvement in food preparation on estimated calorie content, perception of portion size and desirability of the food item.

Design/methodology/approach

To test the hypotheses, three between-subjects experiments (one online, two in a laboratory setting) were conducted. Across the three experiments, participants were presented with a food item either ready for consumption (low involvement) or with the individual ingredients in need of assembly prior to consumption (high involvement).

Findings

Results showed that when a consumer is involved in the preparation of their food, they perceive the food to be lower in calories and smaller in portion size than when the same food is presented fully prepared and ready-to-eat. In addition, the effect of food preparation involvement on perception of portion size has negative downstream consequences on food desirability, as a smaller perceived portion resulted in a less desirable food item.

Originality/value

To the authors’ knowledge, the results of this research are the first to focus on the impact of preparation involvement on perceptions of the specific product attributes of calorie content and portion size, and the downstream effect on desirability.

Keywords

Citation

Lefebvre, S. and Orlowski, M. (2021), "Preparation (mis)perception: effects of involvement on food attributes and desirability", British Food Journal, Vol. 123 No. 2, pp. 739-753. https://doi.org/10.1108/BFJ-03-2020-0166

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited

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