From Sight to Bite

Colour holds significant sway in the world of food, transcending aesthetics to deeply influence our perceptions and experiences, from the vivid hues of produce to the carefully selected palettes used by the food industry. While taste often takes the spotlight in discussions about food preferences, numerous studies underscore the pivotal role that visual cues—particularly colour—play in our decision-making processes and how they can alter our perceptions of taste.

Nature’s palette
 

Nature offers a rich array of colourful foods, urging us to “eat the rainbow.” The vibrant hues not only captivate us visually but also signal the abundance of vital nutrients. Bright colours indicate peak freshness, enhancing health benefits. Our food selections combine instinctive attraction to beauty with learned preferences, favouring intensely colourful natural foods.

Colour also serves as a safeguard against spoiled or unsafe foods, often revealing subtle changes before our sense of smell detects spoilage. Foods that are overcooked, losing both taste and nutrients, are also unappealing. Consider the disappointment upon seeing overcooked broccoli, its irreversible fate announced by a muted, grey-green hue; it’s not exactly appetizing.

Our expectations for the colours of different foods are also a factor when it comes to taste. Each of us has a personal history of culinary experiences that shape our expectations, influencing how we perceive flavour, texture and aroma based on visual cues. We naturally seek congruence with expectations, and when that is not present, our warning sensors can be triggered, making us cautious to try something unexpected. If we’re used to watermelon being red, for example, (which was actually not the original colour of the melon, historically) and we are presented with a slice of yellow watermelon, we may be hesitant to take that first bite. Children, many of whom are described as “picky eaters,” are often the most wary, until they have gained enough experience to trust a wider variety of foods.

And yet, as much as we are comfortable with the colour and flavour pairings we’re familiar with, coming across unusual or rare items like purple potatoes, orange cauliflower or white asparagus can be a delight. Modifying the colour of certain foods and drinks ourselves can also be fun now and then. Think of the seasonal themes we associate with colours: orange and black with Halloween, red and pink with Valentine’s Day, green with St. Patrick’s Day and so on. Whether it's by adding drops of food colour to the icing on cookies or cupcakes, or by selecting a colour theme and finding foods to match, intervening with expectations can be positive when we’re willing participants—after all, we do enjoy novelty.

The power of perception
 

We tell ourselves that different colours of food have different tastes (I stand by the assertion that white cheddar has a unique flavour), but do our taste buds know the truth or are they easily fooled? Knowing that our brains use visual cues for taste perception, curious scientists have experimented with manipulating colour to see how our taste perception can be “tricked.” As an example of this, a study conducted by a marketer named Wheatley in 1973 had participants eat a meal in dim lighting conditions where the food had been altered from its natural colours with tasteless food dye. Partway through the meal, the lighting was returned to normal, revealing a steak that was blue, french fries that were green and peas that were red. Most of the participants immediately lost their appetite, and some felt nauseated and became ill.

Flavour confusion when it comes to colour has also been demonstrated through experiments where there are intentional mismatches between expected and observed colours in beverages. When participants sampled cherry-flavoured drinks coloured orange, they were described as tasting like orange, and those altered to green were perceived as tasting like lime. And, surprising as it may seem, studies on social drinkers and even wine aficionados have found that adding an odourless, tasteless red dye to white wine causes participants to describe it as red wine.

The reason for this phenomenon is found in our brains: our taste perception heavily relies on visual cues, with over 50% of our cerebral cortex devoted to visual processing and only 1-2% involved in taste. Accordingly, we rely heavily on visual cues—and colour in particular—to assist us with making a quick assessment of the taste of food.

The art of appetite appeal
 

The food industry strategically employs colour to influence consumer behaviour across various touchpoints, including food, packaging, branding and environments. Colour additives are often used to compensate for colour loss during food processing or to enhance visual appeal. Two foods that would likely be a hard sell if not for these interventions are farmed salmon and hot dogs. Health concerns, environmental threats and animal welfare aside, if the true colours of farmed salmon and hot dogs were left alone, their unappetizing grey colour would cause sales to plummet.

A brief experiment with white Skittles, which retained their individual flavours despite being coloured white, resulted in taste confusion and low consumer demand. It’s also been shown that people will eat more of something when there are multiple colour options. A study cited in the Journal of Consumer Research showed that when moviegoers were offered M&M's in 10 colours, they ate 43% more than those who were given the same number of M&M's in seven colours.

While natural sources of colour exist from fruits and vegetables (and even bugs!), many processed foods contain artificial colour additives, raising health concerns. Still, manufacturers are driven by the low cost of these additives and the buying behaviour of consumers, who continue to prove that intense colours are preferred.

Mindful eating
 

Despite the complexities surrounding the use of colour in food, it remains an integral part of the culinary experience. There’s no question that beautiful—and sometimes unexpected—colours can enhance our enjoyment of eating and drinking. One example, recently causing a stir in the cocktail world, is the butterfly pea flower. Its mesmerizing deep-blue hue is stunning to behold, but it gets even better: with the addition of ingredients like lemon or tonic water to alter the pH, it morphs into shades of indigo, violet or even fuchsia. This phenomenon beautifully showcases the impactful role that colour can play in the experience of eating and drinking.

Having an increased awareness around the impact of colour in our food gives us a deeper understanding and appreciation when it comes to food presentation. Perhaps sprinkling chopped parsley or fresh herbs on your plate is providing more than just flavour—it's giving your eyes something to get excited about. Contrast is particularly pleasing. Think of a piece of chocolate cake served in a restaurant. Can you picture a few raspberries, a sprig of mint, and maybe a dusting of powdered sugar on top? These pops of colour and contrast bring a dish to life, elevating it to something special and worthy of the extra cost, even though the added expense is minimal. It's all in the details.

By understanding the nuances of colour perception, we can deepen our appreciation for the visual elements that enhance our enjoyment of food. Whether exploring the intense and beautiful colours of fresh produce or getting creative with colour for our own culinary creations, colour enriches the multi-sensory experience of anticipating every delicious and beautiful bite.