A blind spot in the food package created by an authorized symbol

Abstract

A package of Food for Specified Health Uses (FOSHU) shows an authorized symbol to indicate governmental authentication. In order to examine the role of the authorized symbol in the package, we recorded housewives' eye-movements while choosing a cooking oil with or without an authorized symbol. The results showed that the participants read nutrition facts for SHORTER durations when they fixated at the authorized symbol, suggesting that feeling of safety induced by the authorized symbol may inhibit consumers' attention to detailed information such as ingredients.