Color of cutlery could change how food tastes

In the research, participants thought white yogurt tasted sweeter than pink-colored yogurt when eaten from a white spoon, but the reverse was true when a black spoon was used.

These findings could help people improve their eating habits by reducing portion sizes or the amount of salt they add to their food, the researchers said.

"How we experience food is a multisensory experience involving taste, the feel of the food in our mouths, aroma and the feasting of our eyes," said Vanessa Harrar and Charles Spence of the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom. "Even before we put food into our mouths, our brains have made a judgment about it, which affects our overall experience."

They found that yogurt seemed denser and more expensive when eaten from a plastic spoon. White yogurt was rated sweeter, more liked and more expensive than pink-colored yogurt when they were eaten from a white spoon. These effects were reversed when the two colors of yogurt were eaten from a black spoon.

When participants were offered cheese on a knife, spoon, fork or toothpick, they said the cheese from the knife tasted saltiest, according to the study, which was published in the journal Flavour.

"Subtly changing eating implements and tableware can affect how pleasurable, or filling, food appears," Harrar said. "When serving a dish, one should keep in mind that the color of the food appears different depending on the background on which it is presented and, therefore, tastes different."

This may also be used to help control eating patterns such as portion size or how much salt is added to food. Alternatively, people may be able to make better food choices if their ingrained color associations are disrupted by less constant advertising and packaging.

Well, it’s usually me that eats all the chocolate, but in the case of Cadbury’s new integrated campaign featuring a new TVC, online games and in store presence, it is a sexed-up version of Goldilocks as Executive Barbie.

The three bears also feature, but as subservient chocolate brand creators with a winning new recipe. It’s cute and follows the Cadbury theme of big chocolate productions, beautifully illustrated, filmed and/or animated which get our attention. From delightful dancing monks to airborne cows, the magical chocolate factory and chocolate flavoured world of ‘Joyville’ are as delicious as previous campaigns. The online gaming component boasts particularly impressive animation and graphics.

Cadbury wants to own the “essence of joy” with this campaign. The TVC is by Ogilvy Johannesburg and directed by Mike Middleton of Jump and features the “famous glass and a half recipe”.

Coke commissioned several crate men for South Africa, the other notable one in Johannesburg, for the 2010 Fifa World Cup. But this one, designed by Porky Hefer, was the big daddy of them all.

Designed to highlight Coke’s recycling initiatives, it was built to be 15 metres high and made out of 2600 plastic Coke crates.

The construction of the Coca-Cola Crate Fan was an engineering feat. Being able to keep such a huge structure stable, meant that the foundations needed to include steel cabling, giant water bottles, weighted sandbags and further reinforcements along the harbour wall to support the weight.

The dismantling of the structure involves a rigid program, including barricading the entire surrounding area off and using carefully positioned scaffolding so that the crates can be removed one by one and lowered to the ground using ropes.

Oasis Water is trying to encourage consumers to reuse and refill its retail water bottles for only R1 a litre by running a competition over the winter months to create awareness of this service.

“Refilling with Oasis Water is safe and hygienic. It saves our customers money and saves on the use on new plastic bottles, thus ensuring that we look after the environment as well, said Oasis Water’s brand director, Brahm van Wyk.

They have created a competition/loyalty card with Z-Card.“We wanted to give our loyal consumers something back. As such, once they’ve collected 10 stamps, they can enter a competition to win a cruise. The draw takes place on 31 August 2013.”

“We are incredibly honoured to have won in Las Vegas on the back of our recent EXSA Awards achievements. All credit goes to our extremely talented design team,” says 3D Group sales and marketing director, Conrad Kullmann.

“Modular exhibits are hotter than ever as exhibitors, along with exhibit and event companies, are increasingly looking for ways to reconfigure and recycle their exhibit properties, positively impacting their bottom line and the environment.”

Trends influencing the industry, says Kullmann, include: convention bureaus; international exhibitions coming to South Africa; international corporate buy-outs of exhibition companies; build up times; and the overlapping of shows which puts a strain on industry resources; as well as the ‘next big thing’ – digital technology, including the use of augmented reality.




Click on their website www.smartcardfactory.com for more information.