"Organic" food and products is a $29 billion big business and its marketing power is very strong: studies have shown that this simple label can lead us to think that a food is healthier, what is known as the 'health halo effect'.  Marketing attempts to penalize conventional food would also capitalize on that bias, making genetically modified food seem less healthy.  

A new paper by Cornell University's Food and Brand Lab out to to determine if an organic label can influence much more than health views: they found hat perceptions of taste, calories and value can be significantly altered when a food is labeled "organic". And certain people are more susceptible to 'health halo' marketing.

 115 people were recruited from a local shopping mall in Ithaca, New York to participate in their study. Participants were asked to evaluate 3 pairs of products— 2 yogurts, 2 cookies and 2 potato chip portions. One item from each food pair was labeled "organic", while the other was labeled "regular".

The 'trick' was that all of the product pairs were organic and identical. Participants were asked to rate the taste and caloric content of each item, and how much they would be willing to pay for the items. A questionnaire also inquired about their environmental and shopping habits. 

Lead author Wan-chen Jenny Lee, an Emerging Leaders Associate at NIELSEN.

What is organic food? It depends on where you live and who you ask

Even though these foods were all the same, the "organic" label greatly influenced people's perceptions. The cookies and yogurt were estimated to have significantly fewer calories when labeled "organic" and people were willing to pay up to 23.4% more for them.

The nutritional aspects of these foods were also greatly biased by the health halo effect. The "organic" cookies and yogurt were said to taste 'lower in fat' than the "regular" variety, and the "organic" cookies and chips were thought to be more nutritious! The label even tricked people's taste buds: when perceived as "organic", chips seemed more appetizing and yogurt was judged to be more flavorful.

"Regular" cookies were reported to taste better--possibly because people often believe healthy foods are not tasty. All of these foods were exactly the same, but the organic label made the difference.

Who is less susceptible? This study found that people who regularly read nutrition labels, those who regularly buy organic food, and those who exhibit pro-environmental behaviors (such as recycling or hiking) are less susceptible to the organic 'health halo' effect.

So, if you do not consider yourself in one these groups, take a closer look when shopping for organic foods; they're still cookies and chips, being organic does not make them better for you. And in the cases of baked items at a Whole Foods big box food store, the halo effect healthier versions are actually far worse than conventional ones.