Is It Healthy or Just a Health Halo?

Food manufacturers, farmers, and other lobbies work hard to fight for position in grocery stores and your psyche. They push the boundaries as far as they can without blatantly breaking the law or making false claims. Sure, not everyone is a bad actor, but the bottom line is they want you to buy their products. So they’ll use hot-ticket words and certain colors to evoke health and other connotations that will trigger a purchase or at least a second look in the grocery aisle.

Foods marketed in this way have a “health halo.” The health halo effect happens when we, the consumer, assume that something is healthy or a better choice because of a catchphrase or colors on the label. For example, certain foods have a health halo because of where they’re placed in the grocery store.

Deciding what’s healthy and what’s bad for you is both easier and more difficult than ever. We have more options, but there are also a million ways that companies can present something as healthy when it’s not. So let’s explore more about the health halo effect and what you can do about it to make sure you’re making the best choice for you.

Understanding the Health Halo Effect

Food labels that appear to make food products seem like a better choice.

People are incredibly health-conscious these days. We know there are a lot of bad foods out there that we want to avoid. But food companies are innovative, so they constantly play with our emotions. They make things like diet donuts, sugar-free sodas, and other foods that scratch our cravings itch without all of the calories, unhealthy fats, and sugars. But just because something is labeled as fat-free or low sugar, does that mean it’s a good choice?

The halo health effect comes into play when certain words or other sorts of presentation portray something as healthy when it’s not. Of course, this doesn’t mean that it’s horrible for you, but a health halo makes consumers think it’s better for you than it is. You’re ok, for example, eating a diet of low-sugar donuts because they’re low-sugar. However, you’d be much better off if you stayed away from them altogether.

Problems come in when people think they can eat more of something because it’s fat-free or low-fat. It’s sort of like going to the gym and coming back thinking you can have a cup of ice cream because you earned it. In the end, that cup of ice cream could be more calories than what you burned at the gym. You’re worse off for eating it, and it eliminated all of your effort at the gym!

The Big 3: Health Halo Effect Examples

Basket of eggs with a sign that reads cage free.

So, what are some of the ways food companies use words or marketing techniques to present their products as healthy? With factors like store placement, buzz-words on packaging, and even the use of certain colors, a health halo is all about the psychology of branding and marketing.

1. Health Halo Buzz-Words

Think twice when you see these words on a food’s packaging:

Gluten-Free

There has been an explosion in gluten-free products in recent years. It’s an important movement because it accommodates people who react poorly to gluten or can’t eat it at all.

But people buy things without gluten that are high in sugar, fats and are very calorie-dense. Just because there’s no wheat protein in what you’re eating doesn’t mean it’s healthy for you. There is no gluten in a bowl of french fries either, but that’s not great for you.

Organic

Organic’s another label that gets to people. The thought of chemicals and other weird stuff going into our food is scary. We think of genetically-modified apples and what they might do to us ten years down the road. So, of course, we want something grown organically with as few pesticides and additives as possible.

But aside from fruits and vegetables, traditional “junk food” manufacturers have jumped on the organic trend as well. Perhaps you’ve noticed boxes of organic man n’ cheese in your grocer’s aisles. Organic candy and ice cream exist, too.

Natural

What about “natural”? What does that even mean? Saying something is natural evokes feelings or small-batch products made with care. What it really means, though, is not much.

“Natural” could mean a million different things and the term is not regulated by the FDA. Natural fruit flavoring could just mean that the fruit was grown “naturally” on a tree rather than in a lab (as we would obviously expect, but you never know…).

Cage-Free Vs. Free Range

The next time you go to the store to buy some eggs or pieces of chicken, take a look at the language on the labeling. Phrases like “cage-free” and “free-range” are all the rage these days.

No one likes to think the chickens or eggs they eat are the results of inhumane factory farming. We’ve all seen heartbreaking pictures of birds in cages. But just because a bird is cage-free, it doesn’t mean that they’re not walking all over each other in a cramped shed.

Some of the words companies used are designed to soothe consumers and fight back against negative impressions in the marketplace. It doesn’t mean the eggs are better for you or the bird they came from.

2. The Color Green

Vibrant colors are an indicator of freshness and health, something our earliest human ancestors relied on to select the best plants and berries to eat. Fast forward to today, this concept has been reinforced in our psyche by marketing companies – especially when it comes to the color green.

We connote the color green with “fresh” and “healthy,” and when shopping for produce this rarely steers us wrong. But marketers have caught on, and from food packaging to restaurant branding, they use the color green to convince us of the healthy options inside the box or building.

3. The Store or Restaurant Itself

While fast food does it sometimes, quick-service restaurants often rely on a health halo to get you in the door. They market their options with many of the above terms, and their “prepared in front of you” layout is designed to make you buy into the fresh food hype.

But again, this doesn’t necessarily equate to healthy. How many of us go into our favorite build-your-own whatever chain with the best intentions and accidentally end up with a burrito bowl loaded with cheese and sour cream?

Certain grocery stores also employ the health halo tactic to make you feel like shopping there means you care about your body and your health, thus justifying the higher cost at the checkout.

Understanding Organic: What Does It Even Mean?

Women is in a grocery store reading the back of a box.

While the U.S. government sets relatively lax standards on what meets the organic threshold, they do regulate what foods and which manufacturers can call something “organic .” The FDA also has some say in the matter.

The National Organic Program creates rules and regulations for all parts of the organic food process, from farming to shipping and handling. They enforce the issue on all USDA products as well. You can learn more about organic products and what qualifies by learning more about the NOP and what they do.

Cutting Through The B.S. – Buying Local

Yes, buying local products is sometimes healthier for you. When food is mass-produced, companies often have to use additives and chemicals to keep items sustainable until they make their journey from wherever they’re made to your local grocery shelves.

If everything was chemical-free, things would spoil a lot faster on your grocery store shelves. There would be a lot more food waste. And no one wants to buy those apples or bananas with bruises on them. We all want our food to look shiny and fresh when we buy it, like it’s part of some food commercial or something.

However, buying locally often means it comes from a smaller manufacturer that may care more about the ingredients they source and how their products are made. It’s just not a guarantee.

One of the nice things about buying local products is that you have a better chance of finding out more information. No significant food manufacturer is going to let you tour their plant, and they’re much less likely to pick up the phone and walk you through their processes when you call. Many local producers have stores you can go to or frequent your local farmer’s market where you can learn more about what they do.