Phd Defense Iris van Ooijen: Food packaging and healthy choices

Published on 15-11-2016 – On November 16th 2016, Iris van Oijen will defend her PhD thesis entitled Packaging Design as Communicator of Product Attributes. Effects on Consumers’ Attribute Inferences. One of her supervisors is ACHC board member Edith Smit.

Food packaging is an important predictor of the purchase and use of healthy dietary products. Under supervision of Peeter Verlegh (VU), Marieke Fransen (UvA), and ACHC  board member Edith Smit, Iris van Ooijen studied the effects of food packaging design on (amongst others) perception of the healthiness of food products. Her PhD research was funded by SWOCC.

Amongst other findings, studies from the PhD project showed that slim packaging is not only judged in a more positive manner, but is also more easily noticed by people who are searching for healthy products. These results suggest that not only textual information about health is necessary for persuasion, but that food packaging in itself has persuasive impact for health promotion.

More information on the PhD thesis can be found here.

Mw. I. van Ooijen: Packaging Design as Communicator of Product Attributes. Effects on Consumers’ Attribute Inferences.iris

Promotor: prof. dr. E.G. Smit en prof. dr. P.W.J. Verlegh (VU).
Copromotor: dr. M.L. Fransen.