Schulich logo The word Schulich Schulich Wordmark The word Schulich with the words Leading Change Schulich Logo The Schulich logo Schulich 50th Logo The number 50 Search An icon depicting a magnifying glass Envelope An icon depicting an envelope Phone An icon depicting a phone Fax An icon depicting a fax machine Map Pin An icon depicting a map pin People An icon depicting two people Graduation Cap An icon depicting a graduation cap Menu An icon depicting three lines Close An icon depicting an X Arrow Up An icon depicting an upward facing arrow Arrow Right An icon depicting a right facing arrow Arrow Down An icon depicting a downward facing arrow Arrow Left An icon depicting a left facing arrow Plus An icon depicting a plus sign Minus An icon depicting a minus sign Chart An icon depicting a chart Book An icon depicting a book Envelope An icon depicting a stamped envelope Dollar Sign An icon depicting a dollar sign Briefcase An icon depicting a briefcase Page An icon depicting a single page Share An icon depicting three connected dots Alert An icon depicting a triangle with an exclamation point Calendar An icon depicting a blank calendar Event An icon depicting a blank calendar Add Event An icon depicting a calendar with a plus sign on it Event Details An icon depicting a calendar with a question mark on it Print An icon depicting a printer Comment An icon depicting a speech bubble Feed The RSS icon Details An icon depicting a page with three lines of text Facebook An icon depicting the Facebook logo Twitter An icon depicting the Twitter logo YouTube An icon depicting the YouTube logo LinkedIn An icon depicting the LinkedIn logo Instagram An icon depicting the Instagram logo Long Arrow Left An icon depicting an arrow pointing left Long Arrow Down An icon depicting an arrow pointing down Flexible Study Options An icon depicting a branching line Awards An icon depicting a ribbon Advisory Board An icon depicting a round table Graduate Diploma An icon depicting a graduation cap Professional Designations An icon depicting a certificate Academics An icon depicting an academic building Schulich Logo The Schulich logo Academics An icon depicting an academic building Globe An icon depicting the globe with an arrow circling it Globe An icon depicting the globe with an arrow circling it Award Ribbon An icon depicting a ribbon Teacher An icon depicting a teacher pointing at a blackboard Double Location An icon depicting two location pins Wireframe Globe An icon depicting a wireframe globe Airplane An icon depicting an airplane Play Icon in the shape of a play button as found on videos Full-time Icon representing a full-time program Part-time Icon representing a part-time program Full-time Accelerated Icon representing a full-time accelerated program Part-time Accelerated Icon representing a part-time accelerated program Program Details Icon representing program details Program Tuition Icon representing tuition and fees Career Opportunities Icon representing program details Accreditations Icon representing program accreditations Program Options Icon representing program options Requirements Icon representing program requirements Courses and Electives Icon representing program courses Faculty Icon representing program faculty Clubs Icon representing program clubs Courthouse Icon representing a courthouse Oil Icon representing an oil droplet Retail Icon representing a shopping bag Food Icon representing a fork and knife Construction Icon representing a hammer and wrench Person A silhouette of a person Person An outline of a person Folder An outline of a folder Pie chart An outline of a pie chart Graph An outline of a bar graph Save An arrow pointing into a box Play An outline of a play arrow Key An outline of a key Ticket An outline of a ticket Books Two books Computer A laptop computer Globe An outline of a globe Plane An outline of a plane Accelerated Program An outline of a fast-forward button Part-time Program An arrow arcing around a clock Viewbook An outline of an open book Medal A medal with a star Professor A lecturing professor Suit A person wearing a suit Laptop Laptop computer (by FlatIcon) Locked Closed Access Unlocked Open Access Google Scholar Google Scholar icon Calendar An icon depicting a blank calendar India An icon depicting a Indian landmark Report An icon depicting a briefcase Skip to content

New Research Highlights Possible Downside to Latest Trend of Marketing Shared Food

  • Future Students
  • Current Students
    Undergraduate Students ›Graduate Students ›PhD Students ›
     › › › ›
  • Alumni
    • Mentorship & Volunteering ›

      Alumni Benefits ›

      Success Stories ›

      Common Questions ›

      Contact Alumni Relations ›

    • Alumni Events ›

      Global Alumni Chapters ›

      Alumni Services for Students ›

      Alumni Recognition Awards ›

    Overview ›Alumni Career Portal ›Online Community ›
     › › › ›
  • Donors
    • Ways to Support ›

      The Impact of Giving ›

      Sponsorship Opportunities ›

      Leaving a Legacy to Schulich ›

      Contact Development Office ›

    • Schulich Priorities ›

      The Schulich Annual Fund ›

      The Dean’s Society ›

      Tribute Giving ›

    Overview ›Donate Now ›
     › › › ›
  • Recruiters
  • Media
MySchulich
Schulich School of Business
  • Future Students
  • Current Students
    Undergraduate Students ›Graduate Students ›PhD Students ›
     › › › ›
  • Alumni
    • Mentorship & Volunteering ›

      Alumni Benefits ›

      Success Stories ›

      Common Questions ›

      Contact Alumni Relations ›

    • Alumni Events ›

      Global Alumni Chapters ›

      Alumni Services for Students ›

      Alumni Recognition Awards ›

    Overview ›Alumni Career Portal ›Online Community ›
     › › › ›
  • Donors
    • Ways to Support ›

      The Impact of Giving ›

      Sponsorship Opportunities ›

      Leaving a Legacy to Schulich ›

      Contact Development Office ›

    • Schulich Priorities ›

      The Schulich Annual Fund ›

      The Dean’s Society ›

      Tribute Giving ›

    Overview ›Donate Now ›
     › › › ›
  • Recruiters
  • Media
  • Programs
    & Courses
    • Undergraduate

      BBA ›

      Master of Business Administration

      MBA ›
      MBA / Juris Doctor ›
      MBA / MFA / MA ›
      Kellogg-Schulich Executive MBA ›
      Tech MBA ›

    • Specialized Masters Programs

      Accounting ›
      Artificial Intelligence ›
      Business Analytics ›
      Finance ›
      Health Industry Administration ›
      Management ›
      Marketing ›
      Real Estate & Infrastructure ›
      Supply Chain Management ›

    • Exchange

      Incoming Exchange and Programs ›

      Graduate Diplomas

      Post-MBA Diploma in Advanced Management ›
      Accounting Analytics ›

      Doctor of Philosophy

      PhD in Administration ›

     › › › ›
  • Admissions
    • Undergraduate

      Apply Now ›
      Admissions FAQs ›
      Connect With Us ›
      Admission Events ›
      Meet the Team ›

    • Graduate

      Apply Now ›

      Tuition Fees & Costs ›

      Application Tips ›

      Connect with Us ›

      Admission Events ›

      Meet the Team ›

    Admissions Requirements ›
     › › › ›
  • Faculty
    & Research
  • Student Life
    & Services
    • Case Competition Program ›
      Centre for Career Design ›
      Event Calendar ›
      Financial Aid ›

    • International Relations ›
      Libraries ›
      Services for Students ›
      Student Life at Schulich ›

     › › › ›
  • About
    • Our Dean ›

      Rankings ›

      Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion ›

      Case Competition Program ›

      Schulich Startups ›

      Impact Report ›

      News & Events ›

      Contact Directory ›

    • Our Heritage ›

      Recruit at Schulich ›

      Work at Schulich ›

      Hospitality & Hotel Services ›

    Learn more about Schulich ›
     › › › ›
  • Executive
    MBA
    • Program Information

      Overview ›

      Program Details ›

      Schedule & Courses ›

    • Admission Requirements ›

      Tuition Fees ›

      Follow us on LinkedIn ›

    Are you EMBA ready? ›Request a pre-assessment ›

     

    Contact us at 416-736-5486 or emba@schulich.yorku.ca​

     › › › ›
  • Executive
    Education
  • MySchulich

About

About › News & Events

  • ‹ News Feed
  • December 18, 2020

    New Research Highlights Possible Downside to Latest Trend of Marketing Shared Food

    TORONTO – Friday, December 18, 2020 – A new, soon-to-be-published study shows that consumers underestimate the impact to their waistlines – and their health – when eating sharing-size meals and other food products.

    The study, to be published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology, explores whether the latest consumer fad for food sharing is negatively impacting health. Over the last decade, consumers have become accustomed to going to restaurants where the menu is designed to be shared by the entire table. More recently, brands such as M&M’s, Snickers, and Skittles have released sharing-size options, and Hershey’s is advertising its products as ‘perfect for sharing.’ As the popularity of this trend increases, so too does the debate over how food sharing is impacting health. Mars-Wrigley, the company behind brands such as M&M’s and Skittles, suggests that food sharing can help with weight maintenance by facilitating portion control. However, critics are claiming that food sharing may be encouraging excessive caloric intake.

    Authors Theodore J. Noseworthy, Associate Professor of Marketing and a Canada Research Chair (Tier II) in Entrepreneurial Innovation and the Public Good at York University’s Schulich School of Business, and Nükhet Taylor, an Assistant Professor in Marketing Management at Ryerson University’s Ted Rogers School of Management, discovered that sharing food biases how people think about the consequences of their caloric intake – or put another way, people underestimate the fattening potential of shared food. This has important health consequences because these same people become prone to select more calorie-dense foods in subsequent food choices.

    “People tend to regulate their caloric intake; we may pass on an ice cream sundae if we’ve already eaten a few French fries. It seems, however, that if we were to take those same fries from a shared plate, we tend to discount the consequences of eating them in our minds. Thus, there’s little to stop us from eating that sundae,” explains Noseworthy, Scientific Director of the NOESIS Innovation, Design, and Consumption Laboratory at Schulich.

    The big question for Nükhet Taylor was “why” this is happening. “When people eat from their own plates, they feel that they own the food on that plate. This facilitates the acceptance of the consequences of the calories they ingest, such as the possibility that these calories may lead to weight gain,” notes Taylor. “In contrast, shared consumption means eating from a communal resource. This can erode individual ownership, and lead people to underestimate the consequences of caloric intake.”

    To test how sharing was impacting people’s perceptions, the research team showed participants some of the most popularly shared food items such as French fries, M&M’s, and McNuggets. Some participants examined these food items on an individual plate to be consumed alone, whereas others examined them on a shared plate to be consumed with others. “Across five studies, generalized to different populations and different food items, we replicated the notion that food appears less fattening when it is shared. We also confirmed that a lack of ownership over the shared food is indeed responsible for this bias,” noted the team.

    These findings represent a cautionary note for companies that strive to engage in responsible marketing, as well as for public policy makers. “Obesity is an increasingly widespread epidemic in North America, and the most common reason outside of genetic factors is the overconsumption of food,” says Noseworthy. “Companies need to be aware of the potential negative impact they may be having on consumers’ health when they engage in marketing campaigns that emphasize food sharing.”

    These results also have broader implications. One particularly interesting implication is about ownership. “If sharing is biasing fattening judgments because of a lack of ownership over the food, the bigger question becomes: how can we increase consumers’ sense of ownership over what they consume?” says Taylor. “This would certainly be interesting from a public policy perspective, as it can help reduce the tendency to discount calories in general,” notes Taylor.

     

  • Related Posts

    MMKG ›
  • Schulich - York University
    • Directions
    • Location Inquiries
    • Contact Directory
    • Event Calendar
    • MySchulich
  • Information for:

    • Future Students
    • Current Students Undergraduate
    • Current Students Graduate
    • Current PHD Students
    • Alumni
    • Donors
    • Recruiters
    • Faculty & Staff
    • Media
  • Go to:

    • About
    • Admissions
    • Faculty Listing
    • Student Life at Schulich
    • Services for Students
    • Wellness Suite
    • Privacy
    • Site Map
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn
  • Instagram

© Copyright 2025 The Schulich School of Business, York University.