RT Article
T1 The role of the ugly = bad stereotype in the rejection of misshapen produce
JF Journal of business ethics
VO 190
IS 2
SP 413
OP 437
A1 Spielmann, Nathalie
A1 Gomez, Pierrick
A1 Minton, Elizabeth A.
A2 Gomez, Pierrick
A2 Minton, Elizabeth A.
LA English
YR 2024
UL https://ixtheo.de/Record/1883638127
AB A substantial portion of produce harvested around the world is wasted because it does not meet consumers' shape expectations. Only recently has research begun investigating the causes underlying misshapen produce rejection by consumers. Generally, this limited research has concluded that misshapen produce is subject to an ugly penalty, leading consumers to form biased expectations regarding product attributes (e.g., healthiness, tastiness, or naturalness). In this research, we propose that this ugly penalty extends to the moral valuation of misshapen produce and that this moral penalty is rooted in the feelings of disgust evoked by the visual appearance of such produce. Across five studies and two pilot studies, we show that misshapen fruits and vegetables are disgust elicitors, and that felt disgust causes consumers to make negative moral associations with produce which, in turn, leads to decreased preference. We also show that pairing misshapen produce with a positive unconditioned stimulus (i.e., an image of attractive individuals) is an efficient solution to counteract the effect of this stereotype. This research contributes to the growing body of work demonstrating the link between consumption behaviors, consumer preferences, and morality.
K1 Disgust
K1 Food evaluations
K1 Misshapen produce
K1 Moral perceptions
K1 Aufsatz in Zeitschrift
DO 10.1007/s10551-023-05420-1