The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak: The moderating effect of implicit associations on healthy eating behaviors

•We examine the interplay between implicit and explicit processes of food choice.•Three studies combine questionnaire data with computer-based reaction-time tests.•Solely increasing nutrition self-efficacy is not sufficient to change eating patterns.•Implicit food associations determine if self-efficacy is translated into action.•Policy makers should also target implicit processes to improve food consumption.

This paper examines how implicit processes shape consumer’s food decision making. A series of three empirical studies combines questionnaire data with the Implicit Association Test to demonstrate that the effect of nutrition self-efficacy on behavioral intentions and eating behavior is moderated by food associations that are activated automatically and unconsciously. The Main Study provides evidence that consumers with a low ability to adopt a healthy diet behave according to their self-efficacy if implicit associations are negatively connoted (e.g., “healthy food products are less tasty”). A mediated moderation model shows that the interaction effect exerts its influence via intentions to adopt a healthy diet. Replication Study A confirms that this interaction effect even shapes the consumption patterns of at-risk consumers who have received nutritional counseling. Study B confirms the moderating role of implicit associations in a different setting and for different implicit associations. The article reveals that solely increasing consumer’s self-efficacy will not result in substantial changes towards a more healthy diet. By addressing implicit processes, food producers and policy makers can improve the effectiveness of their efforts to induce changes in consumers’ food consumption patterns.