Greenwashing, Health-Washing, and Food Quality Communication: A Review of Consumer Perception and Market Practices

Food communication plays an increasingly important role in shaping consumer perceptions of quality, safety, health, and sustainability. However, the growing use of environmental and health-related claims has raised concerns regarding misleading communication practices such as greenwashing and health-washing. Although these phenomena have been widely discussed, less attention has been devoted to the mechanisms through which they influence perceptions of food quality and safety.

This paper examines how sustainability and health-related claims shape consumer perceptions of food products. The study is based on a literature review supported by selected international case studies from the food sector.

The findings suggest that misleading communication increasingly relies on selective information disclosure, symbolic narratives, scientific framing, and the amplification of limited product attributes rather than on explicitly false claims. The analysis further highlights the role of information asymmetry, credence attributes, and cognitive biases in enhancing the persuasive power of such claims. The reviewed cases indicate that these practices may contribute to consumer misunderstanding and weaken trust in food communication systems. The paper emphasizes the importance of transparency, independent verification, traceability, and consumer education in supporting credible communication about food products.