PARIS: British hospitals use red trays in a program to combat malnutrition, but may have chosen the worst possible color, according to a study yesterday linking the tinge of tableware to food enjoyment.

Researchers from the University of Oxford contributed data to the growing body of evidence that the color, size, weight and shape of eating utensils, cups and plates have a big influence on what people taste. Their findings on cutlery tally with previous research for crockery colors, including the discovery that red tends to limit food intake, they said.

“Red could... be used to serve food to people who need to reduce their food intake, but should certainly not be used for those who are underweight,” the team wrote in the journal Flavour. British hospitals use red trays to make it easier for nurses to identify people who need help eating. “Red appears to be the worst possible tray color... for those individuals who are being encouraged to eat more,” the researchers warned.

Among other things, researchers found food eaten from a knife tasted saltier than eaten with a spoon, fork or toothpick, and “more expensive”