Dispelling myths about a new healthful food can be more motivating than promoting nutritional benefits: the case of Tofu.
OBJECTIVE
This study examines what factors impact the adoption of certain types of healthy foods, such as Tofu, by future nutritional gatekeepers.


METHODS
Information on perceived facilitators and barriers to the utilization of barriers would be obtained via interviews and surveys.


METHODS
In-depth laddering interviews and an online survey during 2012 were utilized.


METHODS
The in-depth laddering interviews were conducted with 83 young women and new mothers (non-vegetarians and non-Asians) who were enthusiastic lovers of Tofu. 502 women from the target demographic (between 20 and 35, non-Asian) were recruited from a national panel and surveyed online in 2012.


RESULTS
Based on the interviews, 21 primary reasons for trying Tofu (facilitators) and 10 reasons that might be preventative (barriers) were identified. A key finding was that facilitators were not motivating factors for why women adopted Tofu into their diets. Instead, barriers explained more than 44% of the variance for not adopting tofu.


CONCLUSIONS
When encouraging nutritional gatekeepers to add Tofu to their household diets, it may be more effective to focus on changing the barriers. This study suggests that nutritionists and health practitioners may be more successful in encouraging the adoption of healthy new foods by dispelling their misconceptions rather than focusing on their nutritional benefits.
Director Cornell Food and Brand Lab, Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management at Cornell University, 114 Warren Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853-7801, United States. Electronic address: foodandbrandlab@cornell.edu.
Brian
B
Wansink
Department of Psychology, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Edwardsville, Illinois, 62026-1121, United States. Electronic address: ms925@cornell.edu.
Mitsuru
M
Shimizu
Deputy Director Cornell Food and Brand Lab, 112 Warren Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853-7801, United States. Electronic address: ab697@cornell.edu.
Adam
A
Brumberg
D000328:Adult; D003625:Data Collection; D004032:Diet / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D058870:Food, Organic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D009042:Motivation; D009753:Nutritive Value; D036301:Qualitative Research; D045730:Soy Foods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult
Asian; Food acceptance; Functional foods; Health food; Japanese; New food; Nutritional benefits; Tofu