Rescue us all! the effects of the "rescued" claim for familiar and unfamiliar food ingredients

Abstract

The United Nations has committed to halving food waste by 2030. In line with this goal, companies have started rescuing some foods that would otherwise be discarded and communicating it to their customers. These foods are repurposed as ingredients and marketed as upcycled or rescued. Notably, upcycled products (e.g., ice cream) can be made with rescued ingredients that are familiar (e.g., chocolate) or unfamiliar (e.g., malted milk) to consumers, which might affect how they are perceived. This research aims to investigate the impact of informing consumers about the “rescued” nature of ingredients. It also assesses how consumers' familiarity with these rescued ingredients moderates the effect on product perception and consumer behavior. We find that adding a “rescued” claim enhances a product's perceived sustainability and healthiness, positively influencing consumers' purchase intention. No significant effect of the claim on expected taste was observed. The effects of the claim on perceived sustainability and healthiness are more pronounced when consumers are already familiar with the rescued ingredient.