Neuroimage. 2010 Oct 15;53(1):215-20. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2010.05.077. Epub 2010 Jun 4.

Organic labeling influences food valuation and choice.

Linder NS¹, Uhl G, Fliessbach K, Trautner P, Elger CE, Weber B.

Author information

1: Department of Epileptology, Bonn University Hospital, Bonn, Germany.

Abstract

Everyday we choose between a variety of different food items trying to reach a decision that fits best our needs. These decisions are highly dependent on the context in which the alternatives are presented (e.g. labeling). We investigate the influence of cognition on food evaluation, using an fMRI experiment in which subjects saw and bid on different foods labeled with (or without) a widely known German emblem for organically produced food. Increased activity in the ventral striatum was found for foods labeled "organic" in comparison to conventionally labeled food. Between-subject differences in activity were related to actual everyday consumption behavior of organic food.