Congruency Matters. Physiological Responses to Nutritional Claim–Product Fit

Among packaging elements, nutritional claims play a crucial role by providing concise information about product attributes and health-related benefits. However, their effectiveness is not straightforward, as consumers’ evaluations are influenced by cognitive biases and contextual factors, including the perceived relationship between healthiness and tastiness. Building on Schema Congruity Theory, this study investigates how the effectiveness of packaging claims depends on the degree of congruence between the claim and the product category. In particular, the research examines whether alignment or misalignment between the communicated benefit (gustatory gratification oriented vs. health oriented claim) and the product’s nutritional identity influences consumers’ physiological and evaluative responses. A between-subjects experimental design was conducted with 40 participants who were exposed to packaging images of two breakfast snacks differing in perceived healthiness (indulgent vs. healthier product). Each product was presented with either an indulgent claim emphasizing taste or a health-related claim highlighting nutritional benefits. Psychophysiological measures, including electrocardiography (ECG) and electromyography (EMG), were used to capture automatic physiological responses related to arousal and emotional valence, while self-reported preferences were collected to assess consumption intentions. Results showed that emotional valence and product evaluation are strongly influenced by claim–product congruence. Congruent combinations elicit more positive affective responses, while incongruent pairings lead to less favourable emotional evaluations despite higher arousal levels. Behavioural choices further confirm this pattern. These findings highlight that the persuasive effectiveness of nutritional claims depends not only on their informational content but also on their symbolic coherence with the product category schema. Theoretical contributions to research on effectiveness of claims and practical implications for the strategic design of packaging communication are provided, emphasizing the importance of aligning nutritional claims with the product’s perceived identity to enhance consumer evaluation and purchase intention.