Food Waste and Upcycled Foods: Can a Logo Increase Acceptance of Upcycled Foods?

Upcycled foods, made from ingredients that are generally discarded, are a promising new category of foods that could help reduce food waste. However, the commercial success of upcycled foods hinges on consumer acceptance of these foods. This research finds that consumers see many benefits of upcycled foods but also have concerns about the quality of these foods. Based on these findings, we posit that appropriate marketing communications that address the concerns and highlight the benefits could improve acceptability of upcycled foods. We propose that an appropriate upcycled logo is a necessary and key element in marketing communications about these foods. Using a theoretical lens, we predict and empirically demonstrate that an appropriately designed upcycled logo increases perceived quality and, in turn, consumers’ willingness to buy these foods. Findings from a series of studies suggest a marketing communication design strategy that will help increase consumer acceptance of upcycled foods.