For today’s shoppers, the term “healthy” carries more weight than ever, but not necessarily in the ways we might expect. Increasingly, health perception is shaping how consumers evaluate and purchase packaged goods, often more than actual nutritional facts. For grocers, understanding this shifting dynamic is critical not only to meeting consumer demand, but also to optimizing category performance, product placement, and marketing strategies.

At Yogi, we’ve analyzed millions of consumer reviews across product categories, and a clear pattern emerges: perception, not science, drives sentiment. This phenomenon, often referred to as the “health halo effect,” illustrates how visual cues, ingredient mentions, and even packaging language can influence how healthy a product is perceived to be, regardless of its actual nutritional profile.

Perception Varies by Category

One of the most revealing aspects of health perception is how it changes across product categories. A plant-based cookie, for instance, may be viewed more favorably than a traditional one, even if it contains similar sugar and fat levels. In the snack category, chips marketed with avocado oil or “non-GMO” claims may receive positive health feedback despite high sodium content or caloric density.

Yogi’s data shows that categories like protein bars, beverages, and cereals exhibit strong consumer associations with health benefits. However, even in these categories, sentiment shifts dramatically based on specific ingredient claims. Meanwhile, other categories, such as frozen meals or chips, face skepticism unless they go out of their way to project a health-forward identity through clean labeling and natural ingredients.

For retailers, this means that stocking decisions and shelf arrangement need to consider not only what is healthy by regulatory standards, but what shoppers believe to be healthy, because that belief shapes buying behavior.

Winning and Losing the Health Halo

Not all brands benefit equally from health perception. Some lean heavily on “better for you” branding, using buzzwords like “keto,” “plant-based,” or “gluten-free,” to attract wellness-focused consumers. However, if the product experience (such as taste or digestibility) falls short, the perceived health benefit does little to drive repeat purchases.

On the other hand, some legacy brands that make no overt health claims may still score high in consumer sentiment simply because they use straightforward ingredients or avoid controversial ones like seed oils, artificial sweeteners, or preservatives. Yogi data shows that even a small reformulation—like switching oils or simplifying a label—can significantly improve health-related sentiment in certain shopper segments.

This reveals a key insight: grocers and brands can’t assume that labeling alone creates a lasting health perception. The product must deliver on quality and align with consumers’ evolving expectations of wellness, transparency, and ingredient integrity.

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What Language Drives Positive Health Perception?

Consumer reviews offer a window into the specific language and themes that resonate with today’s wellness-minded shoppers. Phrases like “real ingredients,” “not too sweet,” “no upset stomach,” or “easy to digest” are consistently associated with high health sentiment across diverse categories. Conversely, mentions of “processed,” “too many additives,” or “artificial” tend to correlate with lower sentiment, even if the product is technically within dietary guidelines.

Importantly, taste is a powerful health signal. Products described as “light but flavorful” or “satisfying without being heavy” often perform well in both overall rating and health-specific sentiment. This reinforces that wellness is not just about what’s absent from a product, but how the entire consumption experience makes consumers feel.

For grocers, merchandising should emphasize these attributes on shelf tags, online filters, and promotional content to meet customers where their values are.

Actionable Insights for Retailers

Understanding the nuances of health perception isn’t just a branding issue—it has real implications for revenue. Retailers who align their merchandising and marketing with consumer sentiment can better capitalize on shifting demand for health-forward products. Here are a few strategies:

• Leverage sentiment data in category resets: Look beyond traditional nutrition scores and consider consumer perception data to decide what stays, what gets more space, and what deserves premium placement.
• Use shopper language on shelf and online: Incorporate review language into product descriptions, signage, and digital tags to surface the words that matter most to consumers.
• Highlight subtle reformulations: If a product eliminates artificial ingredients or switches to a cleaner oil, make that visible: shoppers notice, and it impacts purchase decisions.
• Educate on new health markers: Help consumers understand the benefits of less familiar claims like “adaptogenic” or “low glycemic” through in-store education or content marketing.

A New Standard for Health

Today’s shoppers are interpreting stories when reading labels or looking at hero images – in the store and on digital shelves. The rise of health perception as a dominant force in consumer behavior means that grocers must adapt from simply stocking nutritionally “healthy” products to curating products with believable health claims.

Whether it’s redesigning store layouts to cluster wellness-focused products or using AI-driven insights to respond quickly to consumer sentiment trends, the ability to decode and act on health perception rapidly is a competitive edge.

Grocers who recognize that the new nutrition label or packaging is emotional as much as informational will be best positioned to build trust, loyalty, and long-term growth. In the age of wellness, perception isn’t just part of the purchase decision, it often is the decision.

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