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Is Food Marketing Making Us Fat? A Multi-Disciplinary Review

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  • Chandon, Pierre
  • Wansink, Brian

Abstract

Whereas everyone recognizes that increasing obesity rates worldwide are driven by a complex set of interrelated factors, the marketing actions of the food industry are often singled out as one of the main culprits. But how exactly is food marketing making us fat? To answer this question, we review evidence provided by studies in marketing, nutrition, psychology, economics, food science, and related disciplines that have examined the links between food marketing and energy intake but have remained largely disconnected. Starting with the most obtrusive and most studied marketing actions, we explain the multiple ways in which food prices (including temporary price promotions) and marketing communication (including branding and nutrition and health claims) influence consumption volume. We then study the effects of less conspicuous marketing actions which can have powerful effects on eating behavior without being noticed by consumers. We examine the effects on consumption of changes in the food's quality (including its composition, nutritional and sensory properties) and quantity (including the range, size and shape of the packages and portions in which it is available). Finally, we review the effects of the eating environment, including the availability, salience and convenience of food, the type, size and shape of serving containers, and the atmospherics of the purchase and consumption environment. We conclude with research and policy implications.

Suggested Citation

  • Chandon, Pierre & Wansink, Brian, 2011. "Is Food Marketing Making Us Fat? A Multi-Disciplinary Review," Foundations and Trends(R) in Marketing, now publishers, vol. 5(3), pages 113-196, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:now:fntmkt:1700000016
    DOI: 10.1561/1700000016
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    Cited by:

    1. Allais, Olivier & Etilé, Fabrice & Lecocq, Sébastien, 2015. "Mandatory labels, taxes and market forces: An empirical evaluation of fat policies," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 27-44.
    2. Maples, McKenzie & Morgan, Kimberly L. & Interis, Matthew G. & Harri, Ardian, 2013. "Who Buys Food Directly from Producers in the Southeastern United States?," Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 45(3), pages 509-518, August.
    3. Lily Grigsby-Duffy & Sally Schultz & Liliana Orellana & Ella Robinson & Adrian J. Cameron & Josephine Marshall & Kathryn Backholer & Gary Sacks, 2020. "The Healthiness of Food and Beverages on Price Promotion at Promotional Displays: A Cross-Sectional Audit of Australian Supermarkets," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(23), pages 1-17, December.
    4. Rudi, Jeta & Çakır, Metin, 2017. "Vice or virtue: How shopping frequency affects healthfulness of food choices," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 207-217.
    5. Koch, Alexander K. & Nafziger, Julia, 2016. "Goals and bracketing under mental accounting," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 162(C), pages 305-351.
    6. Fabrice Etilé, 2019. "The Economics of Diet and Obesity: Public Policy," Post-Print hal-02154445, HAL.
    7. Ksenia Silchenko & Søren Askegaard & Elena Cedrola, 2020. "Three Decades of Research in Health and Food Marketing: A Systematic Review," Journal of Consumer Affairs, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 54(2), pages 541-580, June.
    8. Szmigin, Isabelle & Gee, Veronica, 2017. "Mystification and obfuscation in portion sizes in UK food products," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 176-184.
    9. Etilé, Fabrice & Teyssier, Sabrina, 2013. "Corporate social responsibility and the economics of consumer social responsibility," Review of Agricultural and Environmental Studies - Revue d'Etudes en Agriculture et Environnement (RAEStud), Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), vol. 94(2).
    10. Joseph Price & Jason Riis, 2012. "Behavioral Economics and the Psychology of Fruit and Vegetable Consumption," Journal of Food Studies, Macrothink Institute, vol. 1(1), pages 1-13, December.
    11. Ljungvall, Åsa, 2013. "The Freer the Fatter? A Panel Study of the Relationship between Body-Mass Index and Economic Freedom," Working Papers 2013:23, Lund University, Department of Economics.
    12. Jingwen Liu & Peng Zou & Yu Ma, 2022. "The Effect of Air Pollution on Food Preferences," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 50(2), pages 410-423, March.
    13. Cairns, Georgina & Macdonald, Laura, 2016. "Stakeholder insights on the planning and development of an independent benchmark standard for responsible food marketing," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 109-120.
    14. Martinez, Stephen W., 2013. "Introduction of New Food Products With Voluntary Health- and Nutrition-Related Claims, 1989-2010," Economic Information Bulletin 145319, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    15. Stoeckl, Verena E. & Luedicke, Marius K., 2015. "Doing well while doing good? An integrative review of marketing criticism and response," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 68(12), pages 2452-2463.
    16. Adriana V. Madzharov & Suresh Ramanathan & Lauren G. Block, 2016. "The Halo Effect of Product Color Lightness on Hedonic Food Consumption," Journal of the Association for Consumer Research, University of Chicago Press, vol. 1(4), pages 579-591.
    17. Dobson, Paul W. & Chakraborty, Ratula & Seaton, Jonathan S., 2017. "Containing big soda: Countering inducements to buy large-size sugary drinks," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 185-191.

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