G5 Article dissertation
Facilitating healthier food choices: The role of reformulation, nutrition labelling and hedonic eating stimulation
Authors: Junkkari, Terhi
Publishing place: Turku
Publication year: 2026
Series title: Annales Universitatis Turkuensis D
Number in series: 1974
ISBN: 978-952-02-0705-2
eISBN: 978-952-02-0706-9
ISSN: 0355-9483
eISSN: 2343-3213
Publication's open availability at the time of reporting: Open Access
Publication channel's open availability : Open Access publication channel
Web address : https://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-02-0706-9
Abstract
Unhealthy diets are a major driver of lifestyle-related diseases, creating demand for interventions that foster healthier food choices. This dissertation examines three complementary strategies—food reformulation, nutrition labelling, and hedonic digital eating cues— to encourage healthier food choices within real-world food service environments, thereby providing ecologically valid evidence often missing from surveys and laboratory-based research. The first study assessed recipe reformulation of both “vice” and “virtue” products to improve nutritional quality without compromising taste or consumer acceptance. The results demonstrate that reformulation is technically feasible and can be integrated into the catering sector, but it requires adequate resources for product development, sensory testing and systematic monitoring to ensure acceptance. The second study evaluated the real-life effectiveness of nutrition labels, in this case the Finnish Heart Symbol, in guiding healthier food choices. Findings confirm that labels supported healthier selections, but also reveal unintended consequences, including compensatory behaviours in the use of flavour enhancers that may offset intended benefits. These results highlight the importance of integrated strategies that combine labelling with supportive food environments and other complementary approaches. The third study explored digital interventions, including hedonic, video-based prompts, which can influence satiety, appetite, and food choice through grounded cognition mechanisms. Findings highlight their potential as scalable, technology driven nudges, though further research is required on long-term effects. Together, the studies highlight the complexity of food choices and show that no single measure alone can shift diets towards healthier patterns. Achieving sustained change requires combining reformulation, nutritional labelling, and digital nudges with broader interdisciplinary actions that consider consumer behaviour and habits, beliefs, sensory experiences, and the long-term maintenance of dietary patterns.
Unhealthy diets are a major driver of lifestyle-related diseases, creating demand for interventions that foster healthier food choices. This dissertation examines three complementary strategies—food reformulation, nutrition labelling, and hedonic digital eating cues— to encourage healthier food choices within real-world food service environments, thereby providing ecologically valid evidence often missing from surveys and laboratory-based research. The first study assessed recipe reformulation of both “vice” and “virtue” products to improve nutritional quality without compromising taste or consumer acceptance. The results demonstrate that reformulation is technically feasible and can be integrated into the catering sector, but it requires adequate resources for product development, sensory testing and systematic monitoring to ensure acceptance. The second study evaluated the real-life effectiveness of nutrition labels, in this case the Finnish Heart Symbol, in guiding healthier food choices. Findings confirm that labels supported healthier selections, but also reveal unintended consequences, including compensatory behaviours in the use of flavour enhancers that may offset intended benefits. These results highlight the importance of integrated strategies that combine labelling with supportive food environments and other complementary approaches. The third study explored digital interventions, including hedonic, video-based prompts, which can influence satiety, appetite, and food choice through grounded cognition mechanisms. Findings highlight their potential as scalable, technology driven nudges, though further research is required on long-term effects. Together, the studies highlight the complexity of food choices and show that no single measure alone can shift diets towards healthier patterns. Achieving sustained change requires combining reformulation, nutritional labelling, and digital nudges with broader interdisciplinary actions that consider consumer behaviour and habits, beliefs, sensory experiences, and the long-term maintenance of dietary patterns.
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