When you see the color green in the context of food, what usually pops to mind? Healthfulness, vegetables, nutritious ingredients, perhaps? You’re not alone, as a new study says when consumers see green calorie labels, we usually think it’s healthier than food with labels in other colors.

Researchers at Cornell University found that a candy bar with a green calorie label was seen as healthier than those with red or white labels, even when they actually all contained the same amount of calories, reports HealthDay News.

Those most often lead down the green path were the same people who really want to be eating healthy.

“More and more, calorie labels are popping up on the front of food packaging, including the wrappers of sugary snacks like candy bars. Currently, there’s little oversight of these labels,” said one of the study’s authors. “Our research suggests that the color of calorie labels may have an effect on whether people perceive the food as healthy, over and above the actual nutritional information conveyed by the label, such as calorie content.”

While it’s great that more companies have begun giving prominent placement to calorie labels, this mind trick we’re playing on ourselves is another reminder to read all labels carefully. Yes, even if they’re green.

Consumers View Foods With Green Labeling as Healthier: Study[HealthDay]

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