Smell the Label: Odors Influence Label Perception and Their Neural Processing

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Sensory Science
• Consumer Behavior

Background:

• Nutrition labels aim to promote healthier eating but can create negative flavor expectations.
• Olfaction (sense of smell) may influence how consumers perceive food labels, potentially mitigating negative associations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the neural processing of the interaction between food odors and nutrition labels.
• To determine if odors can alter behavioral and neural responses to nutrition labels.

Main Methods:

• Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used on 63 participants.
• Participants were presented with beverage labels (with or without nutrition statements) alongside congruent or no odors.
• Behavioral responses and brain activity were recorded.

Main Results:

• Products with labels and congruent odors were perceived more positively than those with labels alone.
• Odors altered brain activity in regions associated with flavor perception, label processing, and decision-making (e.g., amygdala/piriform cortex, orbitofrontal cortex).
• Specific brain regions showed pattern-based encoding related to odor-label interactions when accounting for behavior.

Conclusions:

• Odors significantly influence both the neural and behavioral effects of nutrition labels.
• Pleasant odors may compensate for negative expectations evoked by certain health claims.
• Further research is needed to understand odor-statement interactions, particularly for labels with negative connotations.