Could appetizing pictures on cake mix boxes lead people to over indulge? According to a new study from the Cornell Food and Brand Lab, these powerful images wield a strong influence over our taste buds and sweet tooth.
Sure, a picture of a spongy cake topped with creamy frosting and sprinkles may be enough to make any grocery shopper pick up a box, but it has a serious impact on portion control and caloric intake.
When estimating portion size, researchers found people are more influenced by food images on the packaging than by the listed serving size on the box alone. This, in turn, leads them to serve more than is recommended - especially when additional food items are shown on food packaging, such as chocolate syrup on top of ice cream or frosting on cake.
"If we see a slice of cake smothered in frosting on the cake box, we think that is what is normal to serve and eat, but that's not what is reflected in the serving size recommendation on the nutrition label," explained John Brand, lead author and researcher from Cornell.
For the study, Brand worked alongside Abby Cohen, a former Cornell Food and Brand Lab intern, and the lab's Director Brian Wansink.
Overall, researchers found that depictions of frosted cake on cake mix boxes amount to nearly 135 percent more calories than the recommended serving size indicates.
Furthermore, a survey of 72 undergraduates and 44 females in the food service industry revealed that these overly caloric depictions caused both groups to overestimate serving size. In fact, the latter group overestimated the recommended serving size by 122 calories.
However, researchers also found that when the phrase "frosting not included on the nutritional labeling," appeared on the box, study participants significantly reduced their estimation of appropriate serving size.
"Undoubtedly, companies don't intend to deceive us when they include frosting in cake box depictions, but these seemingly small elements of packaging can have a huge impact," added Wansink, who is the author of Slim by Design: Mindless Eating Solutions for Everyday Life.
Therefore, researchers recommend that food companies simply include a phrase reminding consumers that extra items in package labels, like frosting on the cake, are not included in the nutrition label's recommended serving size.
Their findings were recently published in the journal Public Health Nutrition.
