When did you realize that the colors on Froot Loops were irrelevant because every color tasted the same? I imagine that it was back in your elementary school days that you had this epiphany and wondered why that was. 

Companies in the food industry - amongst other industries like beauty or health -  utilize certain colors to invoke a reaction out of anyone who looks at it. The name of that effect is called Color Psychology, which is a theory posited in 1801 by politician Johann Wolfgang von Goethe in his book “Theory of Colors”. As a painter, he noticed that different colors in his paintings evoked different reactions and wrote “Theory of Colors” exclusively from personal experience. Since then, this idea has been transformed, built upon, and utilized by different companies as a tactic to influence their customers’ subconscious

One of these companies is McDonald’s. The colors on the interior of their fast food locations have a researched intention sourced from psychology, the red is used because it can “increase our appetite, heart rate, and even blood pressure, making us act faster, be more impulsive and potentially eat more”(Delish). This is the likely explanation for why “41%” of food industries use red in their branding as it subconsciously persuades customers not to stay at McDonald’s for long. Considering McDonald's is a fast food restaurant, they need their customers to go in and out with food in hand. Furthermore, red’s association with passion explains the themes of Valentine's Day and its associations with love, as Valentine’s Day is both the cause and effect of this affectionate association.

The health industry also utilizes color psychology via the color white. As you walk through the halls of a hospital, notice how white is the most prominent color because of “the sense of peace and cleanliness it conveys”(ETKHO). The secondary colors in hospitals are blue and green because they are soothing to patients and workers. It also helps since they are opposite from red, the color of blood, on the color wheel making it a refreshing color to look at for surgical doctors who are forced to see these reds within their respective professions.

Back to Froot Loops -  their rainbow of color has so many effects that, together, cancel out and simply make food more attractive, appealing, appetizing, and informative, especially for children. The next time you leave your house, keep an eye out for all the colors used in professional settings and check if you are being influenced by them. and maybe use blue or yellow in your next presentation, giving your slides added feelings of optimism and attention.