If blue is not a color often present in natural foods, it is nevertheless regularly found on our plates:cocktails, glitter coffees, pastries, sodas, wine and the famous Dragibus are now tasted navy, cyan or even turquoise. An artificial color increasingly declined by brands which is, however, at first sight, unappetizing for the general public. So why do they insist on coloring our favorite sweets and drinks blue?
Since the trivialization of food colorings, we are no longer really surprised to see fluorescent green jellies, very pink shrimps (sorry if we are breaking a myth) or even multicolored cakes! But when consumer brands decide to include blue foods on their shelves, consumers remain skeptical. Indeed, according to several studies, if a product does not look like it should in its natural state (for example, a red banana) it becomes less attractive. As Céline Gallen, teacher and researcher in marketing at the IAE (Institute of Business Administration), explains to Slate:"To be accepted, a food must have a meaning, namely a symbolic, functional benefit and/or hedonic” (in other words, it must be either useful or bring pleasure). If the color remains better accepted with regard to sweet foodstuffs, some do not hesitate to decline it in savory recipes, in particular on Instagram where the trend is for mermaid toast, i.e. sandwiches covered with a dough made of cheese. and spirulina (an algae with bluish tints). The result is very aesthetic, but not so appetizing. Indeed, even if the expert thinks that we will get used to this rather original color over time, it is not yet unanimous among consumers... On the other hand, for sweets, we are not against (yum)!
