Promoting upcycled foods through message appeals: a moral signaling perspective

Purpose – Upcycled foods, made from ingredients that would otherwise go to waste (e.g. soy whey flour used in pastries), are gaining attention in the restaurant industry. However, there is limited understanding of marketing communication strategies that effectively promote these foods. To address this gap, this research aims to investigate how different sustainability message appeals influence consumer responses to restaurants offering upcycled foods. Design/methodology/approach – Drawing on marketplace morality and signaling theory, two experimental studies were conducted to test a morality-based halo effect. Study 1 investigates how message appeals influence consumers’ moral perceptions of the restaurant and subsequent attitudes and visit intentions. Study 2 explores restaurant type (healthy vs hedonic) as a boundary condition. Findings – Results demonstrate that both environmental and social appeals (vs control) increase moral perceptions of restaurants promoting upcycled foods, resulting in more favorable attitudes and stronger intentions to visit. Furthermore, the morality-based halo effect is contingent on restaurant type, emerging strongly for hedonic restaurants but not healthy ones. Practical implications – The findings offer actionable guidance for hospitality businesses seeking to promote upcycled foods. While healthy restaurants may naturally align with upcycled products, hedonic restaurants can strategically use sustainability messaging to enhance consumer attitudes and boost patronage. Originality/value – This research integrates the signaling theory and marketplace morality framework to uncover a morality-based halo effect in consumer responses to upcycled food messaging. It advances sustainability communication literature through novel insights into when and why environmental and social message appeals are effective.