Effects of health labels on expected and actual taste perception of soup

► A label stating “reduced in salt”, reduces consumers’ expected salt intensity. ► A healthy choice logo does not affect consumers’ expectation of liking or saltiness of a product. ► Reduced salt labels do not affect actual taste perception of non-sodium reduced soups. Health labels such as “reduced in salt” or the “healthy choices” logo aim to facilitate consumers’ healthy food choices. However, they may act as a warning sign for those consumers who are more worried about the taste of the products, rather than healthiness. This study assessed the potential effect of front-of-pack health labels on consumers’ expectations and actual perceived taste quality of a chicken soup. Participants ranging from 19 to 67years of age (28 females, 18 males, mean age 45.3±13.7years) were invited to come to a central location to taste a variety of soups. Consumers tasted the same soup with different labels (e.g. now reduced in salt, healthy choices-tick logo) in a within-subjects design. Before and after consumers tasted the soup, they were asked to rate liking, saltiness, and desire to consume the soup. The results suggest that consumers expected the salt taste intensity (P