Improved methodology for prediction of consumers' food choice (209756)

Information about consumers' product acceptance and final product choice are crucial when developing new products or innovated versions of already existing products. Usually, consumer studies are conducted at a laboratory, in a central location or at home , and the measured responses to products are degree of acceptance or preference. Such studies are useful, but do only implicitly address the most important question, namely which product would the consumer choose in an actual buying situation. Different m ethodology based on willingness to buy/pay and experimental auctions have been developed for the purpose. These studies are important, but generally still lack the ability to assess real choice of a new product and subsequent choices after a period of fam iliarisation. This project will focus on developing new and improved methodology for understanding and predicting consumer food choice with focus both on initial choice and choice after a time of exposure. A published methd using hedonic responses as pred ictors of food choice will be taken as a point of departure, but the approach will be extended to accommodate extrinsic product attributes related to for instance health, user-friendliness, price and environmental issues. The project will focus both on ne w method development as well as understanding the advantages and shortcomings of existing, standard methods. Efficiency of methodology in terms of resources spent and time used as well as ability to predict actual choice will be taken into account. In ord er to achieve this, one will, at least in an early stage of development, need to take a sequential approach where the same type of products will be tested several times with a certain time of home exposure between tasting sessions.