Effect of names on the preferences of food

1. Effect of names on the preferences of food
Abstract The objective of this report is to determine
the effect of names on the preferences of
The objective of this study is to find out the food. The study were conducted by using a
effect of descriptive name on the preferences questionnaire having two different names of
of the food. A questionnaire was made same food one is traditional and other is
having six foods with both traditional and descriptive. Then results were analysed
descriptive names. Questionnaire conduction using different statistical approaches and
was done among 25 people belonging to determine the effect of descriptive name on
different countries. The results were analysed the preferences of food.
using Chi-square test on SPSS 16 software.
Results showed significant acceptance of Methods and materials
descriptive names over traditional names.
Descriptive names also increased the sale of To determine how people respond to
food product. The dietary habits of people descriptive name a questionnaire was made
can be changed by the use of names having having names of six restaurant foods. Each
attractive descriptive names. food is given two names one is its traditional
name and other is the descriptive name.
Introduction Then the questionnaire is distributed to 25
people belonging to different nations to
Sensory analysis is used to evoke, measure, select the food which they like the most. The
analyse and interpret reactions to those traditional and descriptive names of the food
characteristics of food and material as they are given in table 1 below.
perceived by the senses of sight, smell, taste,
touch and hearing. Can descriptive names of Table 1
food suggestively influence the perceived Traditional names Descriptive names
taste of particular food? A person’s Chicken Biryani Bombay Traditional Biryani
expectation about the taste of a food can
Chinese Rice Mixed Chicken & Vegetable
have a remarkable impact on their sensory Rice
evaluation of it. The food labelling plays an Chicken Korma Spicy Italian Chicken
important in the sale of the product. Korma
Descriptive and traditional names for food are Chicken Soup French Creamy Chicken
frequently found on different restaurant Soup
menus and the use of favourably descriptive Grilled Chicken Smokey Grilled Chicken
name has been shown to increase sales of Chicken Karahi Buttery Topped Chicken
those items by 27% (Wansink et al., 2001). Karahi
Descriptive names might add a positive The questionnaires were colleted and then
impact to a food, they might increase the sale results were analysed to see the effect of
of food if consumer like that name or might descriptive names on the preferences of
reduced the sale if consumer do not like that foods
food. It is fact that more work is done on the
advertising and packaging of food to catch Statistics
the customer rather than quality of food
(Wansink et al., 2005). The results were analysed using SPSS 16

2. software. Chi-square test was applied to Table 3
analyse results and bar char is made to see Chi-Square Tests
Asymp. Sig. Exact Sig. Exact Sig.
whether there is difference in traditional and Value df (2-sided) (2-sided) (1-sided)
descriptive name or not. Pearson Chi-Square 1.500a 1 .000
Continuity 145.95
1 .000
Correctionb 5
Results and discussion Likelihood Ratio 205.27
0
1 .000
.000 .000
Chi-square test was conducted to examine Fisher's Exact Test
Linear-by-Linear 149.00
1 .000
whether the descriptive food names Association 0
N of Valid Cases 150
influenced sensory perceptions (descriptive a. 0 cells (.0%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is
names versus traditional name). The results 28.17.
b. Computed only for a 2x2
show that descriptive names affect the table
preferences of food. Table 2 provides details Bar chart 1
about the descriptive names that 85% people
like the descriptive name and 65% people do
not like that.
Table 2
Descriptive Names * Traditional Names Crosstabulation
Traditional Names
don’t
like like Total
The likeness of the people towards
Descriptive like Count 0 85 85
Names Expected
descriptive names is more than traditional
36.8 48.2 85.0
Count names which can see from bar chart 1. This
don’t Count 65 0 65 is due to the selection of food dishes is
like Expected
Count
28.2 36.8 65.0 particularly for Asian community and also the
Total Count 65 85 150 questionnaire conduction was done among
Expected
65.0 85.0 150.0
them. Moreover, packaging of the food
Count
material and presentation of the food may
also affect the selection of food and it could
The likeness of the people is more towards be particularly more important with relatively
the descriptive names. Previous work has unfamiliar product categories (Tuorila et al.,
shown descriptive names not only increase 1998).
the sales of the food but also improved Conclusion
expectation related to the food and to the
From the study conducted above it is
restaurant (Wansink et al., 2001). The
concluded that descriptive names effects the
selection of the names also contributes to the
preferences of food. A clear increase in the
preferences of the food. Food selection also
acceptance of descriptive names by the
differs with respect to locality of the food. For
people is evidence that likeness of the people
example “Chicken Biryani” and “Bombay
towards descriptive names food is more than
Traditional Biryani” are names of same food
traditional one.
but people belonging to India prefer Bombay
Traditional Biryani over Chicken Biryani References
because that name related to their native Wansink B., Painter J.E. and Ittersum K.V., (2005). How descriptive
food names bias sensory perceptions in restaurants. Food Quality
country. So while selecting the names of food and Preference, 16, 393–400.
in a restaurant we should care about the Wansink B., Painter J.M. and Ittersum K.V., (2001). Descriptive
nationally and eating habits of the people menu labels_ effect on sales. Cornell Hotel and Restaurant
Administrative Quarterly, 42, 68–72.
living in that area. The bar chat 1 below gives
Tuorila H.M., Meiselman H.L., Cardello A.V. and Lesher L.L., (1998).
a clear view of preference of descriptive Effect of expectations and the definition of product category on
names over traditional. acceptance of unfamiliar foods. Food Quality and Preference, 9,
421–430.