Contextual effects of color on food choices: Red ambient color induces indulgence
Szocs, Abell, Ruzeviciute, Kim and Biswas examine red ambient colour in restaurants and cafeterias. Earlier work had linked red attached to a food product, such as a plate, cup or nutrition label, with avoiding unhealthy foods. They report that consumers associate ambient red, such as a wall colour, with unhealthy restaurants, and that ambient red, against blue, grey or white, led to a greater preference for high-calorie, high-fat and indulgent options, because people infer what suits the setting. The effect depended on how strongly a consumer linked red with unhealthy restaurants. Journal of record: Journal of Consumer Psychology, published online 2024.
Szocs, Abell, Ruzeviciute, Kim and Biswas examine red ambient colour in restaurants and cafeterias. Earlier work had linked red attached to a food product, such as a plate, cup or nutrition label, with avoiding unhealthy foods. They report that consumers associate ambient red, such as a wall colour, with unhealthy restaurants, and that ambient red, against blue, grey or white, led to a greater preference for high-calorie, high-fat and indulgent options, because people infer what suits the setting. The effect depended on how strongly a consumer linked red with unhealthy restaurants. Journal of record: Journal of Consumer Psychology, published online 2024.
Written from the abstract, OpenAlex record, 2026-11-03; citation details from the same record.
What our sources record
Recorded when this source was checked, figures included, with page references and quotation marks removed.
Journal of Consumer Psychology. doi:10.1002/jcpy.1445 https://doi.org/10.1002/jcpy.1445