Food Research International 76 (2015) 179

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Food Research International

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/foodres

Editorial

Special issue title: Food, emotions and food choice

Choosing what to eat or drink are among the most frequent human
behaviours. Food choice is a complex act, inuenced by several interrelated variables, being mood and emotions two important ones. Foods
could potentially shape emotional responses, but also mood and emotions could dene what consumers buy in a specic context. Research
has shown that consumers can select food products with the purpose
of feeling specic emotions. On the other hand, mood and emotions
can encourage the consumption of specic products, even without consumers' conscious awareness. For example, sadness or anxiety can promote the consumption of unhealthy food, stress can lead to overeating,
while some foods may be consumed to ght depression, both consciously and unconsciously.
Interest in studying the emotional response to foods and beverages
has markedly increased in the last decade, partly motivated by the potential of emotions to provide distinctive information about products
that go beyond classic preference ratings. Food companies may have
the opportunity to develop new high-quality products that create a specic emotional response in the consumer, which can consist of a differential advantage in today's hectic and competitive marketplace.
Owing to its raising importance, the study of moods and emotions
and their relation to food choice is a topic of major interest for distinct
areas of food research such as sensory & consumer science, psychology,
neuroscience and marketing, as well as for marketing and research and
development departments in the food industry. Growing interest in the
emotional response to food products has prompted the development of

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.foodres.2015.08.007
0963-9969/ 2015 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

various specic emotion questionnaires and the adoption of psychophysical techniques within sensory and consumer research.
This special issue includes a total of 15 articles (4 reviews and 11
original research papers). The reviews critically look at the subject
from psychological, physiological, marketing and product development
perspectives, addressing both basic and applied aspects of the topic. The
research papers are related to different aspects of the bi-directional relationship between moods and emotions and food choice, touching
upon topics like liking, memorability, income level, stress-induced eating, cultural differences, attitudes towards environmental issues, and
various product specic emotional responses.
We hope that this issue provides a critical an updated overview of
the topic and that it encourages researchers to improve our knowledge
on how mood and emotions shape our eating patterns.
Paula Varela
Noma AS Osloveien, 1 1430 s, Norway
E-mail address: paula.varela.tomasco@noma.no.
Gastn Ares
Facultad de Qumica, Universidad de la Repblica. Gral. Flores 2124. C.P.
11800. Montevideo, Uruguay
E-mail address: gares@fq.edu.uy.