H.C.M. van Trijp

Effects of variety and repeated in-home consumption on product acceptance.

The present study was designed to investigate the effect of variety on long-term product acceptance and consumption in a home-use situation. Subjects (N= 105) consumed a meat sauce once a week at dinner at home for a period of 10 weeks. Three variety groups were designed. The monotony group (N= 45) consistently received the same flavour of meat sauce across all 10 weeks; the imposed variation group (N= 30) received one from three different flavours of the meat sauce in random order, and the free choice (N= 30) in variation group was allowed to choose among three flavours of the meat sauce. Results showed a substantial increase in boredom and decline in acceptance ratings after repeated consumption. As hypothesized, this effect was the largest for the monotony group and was least pronounced in the free-choice group, with the imposed variation group in between. Consumption data were in line with these acceptance ratings; the monotony group consumed less of the food than the free-choice group over that time. In conclusion, repeated consumption of a food product only once a week at home resulted in a remarkable increase of boredom over time. The boredom effect was the largest for subjects who consistently received the same food, and was least pronounced for subjects who were allowed to choose among three different flavours of the food.

Laboratory hedonic ratings as predictors of consumption

Abstract The objective of this study was to investigate the predictive validity of laboratory sensory tests on consumption. Thirty-six subjects (30 women, six men; mean age 21 years) participated in a taste-and-spit test, a taste-and-swallow test, a fixed quantity test in which an amount of 300 g was consumed, and an ad libitum consumption test. Subjects rated on a 10-point category scale pleasantness and perceived sweetness intensity of yogurts varying in sucrose concentration (1, 5.9, 10, 17.6 and 30% w/w). Consumption was measured in the ad libitum consumption test. Results showed that the optimal sucrose concentration as determined by the taste-and-spit test (10% w/w) was higher than that determined from the taste-and-swallow test, the fixed quantity test and the ad libitum consumption test (5.9% w/w). The mean of within-subject’s correlation coefficients between pleasantness ratings and amount of yogurt eaten in the ad libitum consumption test were 0.45, 0.62, 0.75 and 0.81 for the taste-and-spit test, the taste-and-swallow test, the fixed quantity test and the ad libitum consumption test, respectively. The perceived sweetness intensity did not change as function of the sensory test used. We conclude that pleasantness ratings collected after the taste-and-swallow test give a better prediction of consumption than the taste-and-spit test. ©

Consumer understanding and nutritional communication: key issues in the context of the new EU legislation

BACKGROUND Nutrition communication by means of nutrition and health claims and otherwise, holds the potential to contribute to public health by stimulating informed healthier food choices and enhanced health-focussed competition in the market place, provided that the health messages are trustworthy (i.e. scientifically substantiated) and correctly used and interpreted by the consumer. Not surprisingly, these two considerations constitute the cornerstone of the new EU legislation on nutrition and health claims, in which evidence for consumer understanding of nutrition and health claims is a new requirement. AIM OF THE STUDY To review some of the key issues in consumer understanding of nutritional communication as a basis for reflection on the consumer understanding element of the new EU legislation on nutrition and health claims. CONCLUSIONS There is a need for more methodologically advanced research in consumer understanding of nutrition and health claims as a basis for truly assessing the real-life use of such information and its actual effect on consumer food choices. Such approaches are pertinent in light of the evaluation and approval process of (new) nutrition and health claims as required under the new EU legislation on nutrition and health claims.

The role of health-related claims and health-related symbols in consumer behaviour: Design and conceptual framework of the CLYMBOL project and initial results

Health claims and symbols are potential aids to help consumers identify foods that are healthier options. However, little is known as to how health claims and symbols are used by consumers in real-world shopping situations, thus making the science-based formulation of new labelling policies and the evaluation of existing ones difficult. The objective of the European Union-funded project Role of health-related CLaims and sYMBOLs in consumer behaviour (CLYMBOL) is to determine how health-related information provided through claims and symbols, in their context, can affect consumer understanding, purchase and consumption. To do this, a wide range of qualitative and quantitative consumer research methods are being used, including product sampling, sorting studies (i.e. how consumers categorise claims and symbols according to concepts such as familiarity and relevance), cross-country surveys, eye-tracking (i.e. what consumers look at and for how long), laboratory and in-store experiments, structured interviews, as well as analysis of population panel data. EU Member States differ with regard to their history of use and regulation of health claims and symbols prior to the harmonisation of 2006. Findings to date indicate the need for more structured and harmonised research on the effects of health claims and symbols on consumer behaviour, particularly taking into account country-wide differences and individual characteristics such as motivation and ability to process health-related information. Based on the studies within CLYMBOL, implications and recommendations for stakeholders such as policymakers will be provided.

Consumer-Oriented New Product Development

New product development (NPD) is a necessary activity for a company’s competitiveness, profitability, and growth. However, NPD is a risky activity as a large percentage of new product introductions fail to achieve their commercial targets. The present article reviews the existing evidence on new product success and failure factors. From that it introduces the perspective of consumer-oriented NPD as a way to balance new technological opportunity against identified consumer needs and desires.

Systemic policies towards a healthier and more responsible food system

INTRODUCTION Since the 1980s, the number of obese people has increased steadily across the globe. Consequently, more patients have serious medical conditions 3 such as cardiovascular diseases and type II diabetes. As a result, medical expenses increase dramatically. An important cause of obesity is unhealthy dietary habits, such as increased size of portions, eating away from home and the consumption of high-energy dense foods. Measures have been taken to change these dietary habits to a more responsible pattern, but with limited success.

Designing New and Functional Foods for the Aging

The aging population seems to be an attractive market in terms of its size and spending power. However, biological age does not provide a useful basis for marketing practice, because the group is highly heterogeneous. The present chapter builds on the general principles of consumer-led new product development to explore the development of novel foods for this diverse population of consumers. In doing this, it illustrates that relevant changes occur with age in terms of cognition, motivation, and identity, and that these may provide an entry point for effective marketing strategies. The chapter provides concrete recommendations regarding the development of novel foods for older consumers, and ends with a discussion on implications for functional food development.