Quality and consumer acceptability 349 12.4 Determining consumer acceptability There is no doubt that the taste of food is an essential criterion for the acceptability of a product by the consumer. The best marketing and advertising campaign for a new chilled product might convince a consumer to buy it for the first time. However, should this product not attain expected values, the consumer will not purchase the product again. Although taste undoubtedly plays an important part in food choice, it is not the only essential element. Attitudes, belief, nutritional awareness, brand and image, convenience, price and other socio-cultural aspects(e.g. religion, education) are all important criteria the market researcher will take into account. Although expert sensory panels are useful to understand the sensory properties of a chilled product, when consumer acceptability and behaviour is concerned, tests involving consumers must take place 12.4.1 On-site trials for screening purposes These tests are used by many food companies to assess the sensory quality of their products, including products under development versus competitors'ones These tests are very useful for the screening of several samples prior to a full- scale assessment, in order to reduce costs and optimise tight deadlines. A minimum number of consumers are required in order to be confident of the result. It is advisable to involve at least 50 employees. The main negative aspect to this type of assessment is the knowledge employees have acquired working in contact with the product and inevitably biases may occur in their choice. The archer should minimise these biases hiding recognisable clues when 12.4.2 Home placement tests hese tests imply that consumers are asked to try and assess one or more products while at home. The advantage is that the assessment is carried out within a normal life situation and is therefore more likely to represent the true behaviour and liking for a product. It also has the advantage of getting an opinion from the whole family rather than just one individual. However, the drawback is that the control of the response is poor. In particular, different ooking procedures and processes may be used by different consumers, making a direct comparison more complicated. Also, when two or more products are assessed, the cooking procedure between products or the time interval between cooking and eating may differ In a home location test, samples may be delivered to homes or collected at a central location. After a certain period, the researcher will interview the consumer by phone or face-to-face by calling in. Questions such as liking for each product by each member of the household, type of cooking and serving, expectation, likelihood of purchase may be asked12.4 Determining consumer acceptability There is no doubt that the taste of food is an essential criterion for the acceptability of a product by the consumer. The best marketing and advertising campaign for a new chilled product might convince a consumer to buy it for the first time. However, should this product not attain expected values, the consumer will not purchase the product again. Although taste undoubtedly plays an important part in food choice, it is not the only essential element. Attitudes, belief, nutritional awareness, brand and image, convenience, price and other socio-cultural aspects (e.g. religion, education) are all important criteria the market researcher will take into account. Although expert sensory panels are useful to understand the sensory properties of a chilled product, when consumer acceptability and behaviour is concerned, tests involving consumers must take place. 12.4.1 On-site trials for screening purposes These tests are used by many food companies to assess the sensory quality of their products, including products under development versus competitors’ ones. These tests are very useful for the screening of several samples prior to a full￾scale assessment, in order to reduce costs and optimise tight deadlines. A minimum number of consumers are required in order to be confident of the result. It is advisable to involve at least 50 employees. The main negative aspect to this type of assessment is the knowledge employees have acquired working in contact with the product and inevitably biases may occur in their choice. The researcher should minimise these biases hiding recognisable clues when possible. 12.4.2 Home placement tests These tests imply that consumers are asked to try and assess one or more products while at home. The advantage is that the assessment is carried out within a normal life situation and is therefore more likely to represent the true behaviour and liking for a product. It also has the advantage of getting an opinion from the whole family rather than just one individual. However, the drawback is that the control of the response is poor. In particular, different cooking procedures and processes may be used by different consumers, making a direct comparison more complicated. Also, when two or more products are assessed, the cooking procedure between products or the time interval between cooking and eating may differ. In a home location test, samples may be delivered to homes or collected at a central location. After a certain period, the researcher will interview the consumer by phone or face-to-face by calling in. Questions such as liking for each product by each member of the household, type of cooking and serving, expectation, likelihood of purchase may be asked. Quality and consumer acceptability 349