Primates: Present food dipped in food colouring

Overall effectiveness category Unknown effectiveness (limited evidence)
Number of studies: 1
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How is the evidence assessed?

Effectiveness

50%
Certainty

20%
Harms

20%

Calculating overall effectiveness category

Background information and definitions

Changing the colour of food items aims to make the food more interesting and appealing to the monkey, stimulating their curiosity and interest and therefore more natural feeding behaviours.

Study locations

Key messages

One before-and-after study in the USA found that when food was dipped in food colouring juvenile and adult orangutans ate more and took less time to consume it.

About key messages

Key messages provide a descriptive index to studies we have found that test this intervention.

Studies are not directly comparable or of equal value. When making decisions based on this evidence, you should consider factors such as study size, study design, reported metrics and relevance of the study to your situation, rather than simply counting the number of studies that support a particular interpretation.

Supporting evidence from individual studies

A before-and-after study in 1985 in the USA (Barbiers 1985) found that when food was dipped in food colouring juvenile and adult orangutans Pongo spp. ate more and adults took less time to consume the food compared to when food was not coloured. The time adults spent feeding on chow decreased from 17 minutes when it was not coloured to 13 minutes when it was coloured. Juveniles averaged 1–2 pieces of plain chow daily, which increased to three coloured pieces, while the adults’ daily consumption increased from 75 pieces to 84 once it was coloured. ‘Purina’ monkey chow was dipped in red, green, blue and orange food colouring and offered to three adults and two juveniles. Equal numbers of differently coloured pieces of chow were offered. Observations took place for 45 minutes/day for eight days with uncoloured chow, coloured chow and then uncoloured chow again. (CJ)
Study and other actions tested
Referenced paper
Barbiers R.B. (1985) Orangutans' color preference for food items. Zoo Biology, 4, 287-290.

Please cite as:

Jonas, C.S., Timbrell, L.L., Young, F., Petrovan, S.O., Bowkett, A.E. & Smith, R.K. (2020) Management of Captive Animals. Pages 527-553 in: W.J. Sutherland, L.V. Dicks, S.O. Petrovan & R.K. Smith (eds) What Works in Conservation 2020. Open Book Publishers, Cambridge, UK.

Where has this evidence come from?

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This Action forms part of the Action Synopsis:

Management of Captive Animals

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Primates: Maximise both horizontal and vertical food presentation locations Action Link	Likely to be beneficial	2	Synopsis Link
Primates: Scatter food throughout enclosure Action Link	Beneficial	4	Synopsis Link
Primates: Present food in water (including dishes and ponds) Action Link	Unknown effectiveness (limited evidence)	1	Synopsis Link