The Sustainable Rice Platform (SRP) Standard offers a multidimensional framework for sustainable rice production, yet its market success depends on whether consumers value its underlying performance indicators. This study investigates Vietnamese urban consumers' preferences for the 12 SRP performance indicators and tests how exposure to one-sided versus two-sided information about SRP rice shapes those preferences. A Best-Worst Scaling (BWS) survey was administered to 430 consumers, who were randomly assigned to receive either benefits-only (Treatment 1, “one-sided”) or benefits-and-challenges (Treatment 2, “two-sided”) information before completing 12 BWS choice sets. Random Parameter Logit models and Krinsky–Robb-simulated difference-in-differences analyses were used to estimate preference shares and consumer heterogeneity. Food Safety dominated consumer preferences in both treatments, capturing 40.9% of preference share under one-sided information and rising sharply to 79.9% under two-sided information, while worker health and safety attracted 18.5% and 8.9%, respectively. Environmental indicators (greenhouse gas emissions, water productivity, biodiversity) and social indicators (women empowerment, child labour) each received less than 6% under either treatment. Heterogeneity analyses revealed that male, lower-income, familiarity with quality certifications and label-reading consumers most strongly anchored on Food Safety, while younger consumers and those with stronger ethical orientations placed greater value on social indicators. The concentration of Food Safety preference under two-sided information suggests that transparent communication about implementation challenges sharpens the perceived signal value of certification. Implications for SRP communication and segmented marketing in developing rice markets are discussed.
Hydroponics is a soilless cultivation technique that promises increased agricultural yields while minimizing resource usage. However, its full potential may be limited by consumer acceptance barriers. This study examines how Food Technology Neophobia (FTN) affects willingness to pay (WTP) for hydroponic lettuce and whether environmental or health-related information, along with healthy eating and dietary sustainability orientations, shape consumers' preferences. Data were collected through an online survey completed by 750 Italian respondents assigned to one of three information conditions. The FTN Scale measured neophobia level, while consumers' WTP was elicited through a Choice Experiment. Results revealed that, although on average consumers did not discriminate between hydroponic and conventional lettuce, FTN significantly reduced WTP for the hydroponic alternative. Surprisingly, providing information on either environmental or health benefits did not yield statistically detectable influence on WTP, nor did consumers' interest in healthy eating or dietary sustainability orientation moderate preferences for hydroponic products. The findings suggest that successful market penetration depends on achieving price competitiveness with conventional products and building familiarity through experiential marketing. Moreover, hydroponic production under organic regulations could improve credibility and widen the hydroponic market.
Children's diets are poor quality. Repeated exposures to healthy foods can promote acceptance, but some children do not respond to this approach. This pilot study tested alternative approaches for toddlers high on food fussiness, a characteristic that as been associated with non-response to repeated exposure. Toddlers were randomized to an associative conditioning (n = 21) or modeling program (n = 20). Participation involved a baseline lab visit, four weeks of twice-weekly at-home vegetable exposures, and a post-program lab visit. Children's willingness to taste, liking, and intake of their assigned study vegetable were assessed in the lab. Parents completed weekly online surveys, reporting vegetable tastings administered, child willingness to taste, and child liking of the vegetable at home, and a post-program interview. Number of vegetable tastings administered and parent perspectives were examined as indicators of feasibility, and mixed models tested changes in willingness to taste and vegetable liking and intake overall and by group. Eighty-eight percent of parents offered the assigned number of vegetable tastings, and most children (90.2%) were willing to taste the vegetable at least sometimes. Willingness to taste did not change or differ by group. Parent-reported child vegetable liking increased overall (p < 0.05), while objectively-measured vegetable intake increased in the modeling group (p < 0.05). Interviews supported program feasibility, with parents noting that vegetable exposure outside of mealtime was helpful. The modeling group also enjoyed parent-child bonding. These programs may support food preference learning among young children with high food fussiness, with modeling potentially showing increased benefits.
Heart Rate (HR), Galvanic Skin Response (GSR), and Pupil Size (PS) reflect Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) activity. They have been proposed as a way to capture spontaneous consumer response to food; however, interpreting these measures and their underlying meanings remains difficult. The aim of this study was twofold 1) to study changes in GSR, HR and PS of consumers when observing, smelling and eating food and 2) analysing the relationships between HR, GSR and PS and explicit liking and familiarity perception in ten products with a wide range of variation in such variables. For that, changes in HR, GSR and PS of 85 volunteers in response to the products were registered together with their assessment on liking, familiarity, novelty, processing and healthiness perception. Compared to baseline, ANS response increased significantly during smelling and eating but did not much change in response to food images. Furthermore, ANS response varied among products and differently for each implicit parameter (HR, GSR and PS). Correlation and regression analyses did not reveal a significant relation between the changes in these ANS implicit parameters and the explicit assessment of liking or familiarity, in any of the evaluation conditions. These results confirm that ANS parameters captures a reaction of consumers that is different to their explicit responses, that could provide additional information, but whose meaning needs to be further explored.
This study aimed to examine consumers' explicit preferences and indirect behavioral responses to plant-based products differing in processing level, using an adapted version of the Leeds Food Preference Questionnaire. Sixteen food images were selected to represent either legume-based or cereal-based products, each presented at two processing levels (low vs. high). The categories—Highly processed cereals (CerPro+), Low processed cereals (CerPro-), Highly processed legumes (LegPro+) and Low processed legumes (LegPro-)—were represented by four images each.A total of 196 French non-vegetarian consumers completed a two-stage task: (i) explicit ratings of liking and wanting for each food image and (ii) a forced-choice task comprising 96 pairs of images, in which the participants had to select, as quickly as possible, the product they most wanted to eat at the moment.Results showed that explicit liking and wanting were higher for cereals than for legumes, with no significant differences between the two levels of processing. In the forced-choice task, cereals were chosen more frequently than legumes, and reaction times were significantly shorter for cereals than for legumes. Although choice frequency did not differ across processing levels, reaction times were shorter for highly processed products. A composite behavioral index was calculated and was significantly higher for CerPro+ and lower toward LegPro-. Overall, these findings suggest that processing level is associated with differences in choice behavior and decision speed, even when explicit ratings are unaffected. They further indicate that processing level may influence behavioral components of food preference that are not captured by self-report measures.
Food perceptions can be influenced by the way a food looks (e.g., packaging) and by sounds associated with it (e.g., sonic logos). In the present research, we examine whether food perception is influenced by sound symbolism in brand names. Specifically, we examine whether phonemes associated with large sizes (i.e., back vowels, sonorant consonants, and voiced stops) or small sizes (i.e., front vowels, voiceless fricatives, and voiceless stops) affect the perceived heaviness or fillingness of a snack. Across two online experiments (combined N = 601) presenting written descriptions of stimuli, participants perceived foods that were labelled with fictional brand names containing phonemes associated with large sizes as heavier and more filling than brand names that contained phonemes associated with small sizes. When imagining buying a snack for a friend who preferred light food (vs heavy food), participants reported greater purchase likelihood for snacks with brand names that contained small-associated phonemes (vs large-associated phonemes). In sum, this research underlines the importance of considering sound symbolism in sensory marketing decisions.
The concepts of food and nutrition literacy (FNL) have gained increasing attention as substantial determinants of nutritional health. As efforts to conceptualize FNL continue to evolve, there have been growing calls for more culturally-sensitive, context-specific conceptualizations and applications. This is particularly crucial for immigrants/refugees, given the distinct cultural values and needs of these populations. This paper explored FNL and their components among Arab immigrants/refugees (AIR) in Ontario, Canada. This cross-sectional, mixed methods community-based participatory research study used Photovoice, qualitative interviews and a survey. Sixty socio-demographically diverse AIR adults participated in this study. The research was guided by an amalgamated FNL framework.Findings revealed that FNL among AIR is multi-dimensional, involving both individual and collective components that encompass cultural and adaptive knowledge and skills that were collectively necessary for navigating AIRs' new food and nutrition system. Participants showed awareness by critiquing systemic issues that need to be addressed, including lack of cultural representation and the financial and geographical inaccessibility to nutritious foods. This project provides insights into conducting community-based action and advocacy activities to foster community empowerment and promote FNL. Our findings emphasize the importance of a holistic approach to FNL that incorporates collective action to co-address (with community members and stakeholders) structural barriers and enhance community food security. Limitations of the study include limited generalizability due to non-probability sampling, small subgroup sizes, and lack of direct outcome measures of community and advocacy-based activities.
Perceived social barriers impede meat reduction efforts, yet little is known about whether individuals accurately predict others' emotional responses to vegetarian meal requests in social settings. This study examines ‘empathic forecasting errors’ – systematic mispredictions of others' emotional reactions – in relation to these requests. Using an experimental vignette approach, we surveyed 1068 UK meat eaters to measure their affective responses to vegetarian meal requests across four dining scenarios (a dinner party, a pub carvery, a BBQ, and a restaurant), yielding 4178 observations. Additionally, in a parallel survey, 444 UK adults who abstain from or restrict their meat consumption predicted the meat eaters' reactions to the same four scenarios (1776 observations). Combining the data on requesters and their company, we found that vegetarian meal requesters systematically mispredicted meat eaters' reactions, consistently ‘expecting the worst’: they significantly underestimated positive emotional responses (6 out of 10 positive emotions) and overestimated negative reactions (all 10 negative emotions). These empathic forecasting errors occured regardless of whether requesters disclosed their diet type or motives. These mispredictions may act as psychological barriers to sustainable dietary shifts by discouraging vegetarian meal requests in social situations, suggesting that interventions addressing these forecasting errors could support more plant-based eating behaviours.
This paper develops an agenda for underrepresented populations in consumer research, highlighting both opportunities and challenges as well as ways to address them. Based on survey responses collected among attendees at the 16th Pangborn Symposium in 2025 together with data obtained through targeted LinkedIn posts in relevant communities (N = 104), we present preliminary evidence that matters linked to greater generalisability are deemed important on a wide array of parameters, including those linked to pressing societal issues, practical relevance and research practices, especially in applied relative to basic research. Adapted study designs, methods and analyses emerged as a key initiative to enable more research on underrepresented populations, while editorial policies that put a stronger emphasis on generalisability and sample diversity turned out to be the least popular initiative in this context. When asked to state which specific underrepresented populations participants would prioritize from a sensory and consumer research perspective, low-income populations were, by far, the most frequently selected category. Grounded in these results, we introduce the PLATEAU acronym, which describes the strong focus on People from Literate, Affluent, Technological, Educated, Anglicised and Urban settings, characterised by Western customs, consumption norms and food culture. We end the paper with several strategies and concrete examples on how to mitigate the present PLATEAU priority and inspire more research on underrepresented populations, while acknowledging complex challenges, including those related to systemic biases embedded in artificial intelligence.
The robustness of two rapid, reference-based profiling techniques, Polarized Sensory Positioning (PSP) and Polarized Projective Mapping (PPM) was assessed for classifying honeybush tea according to quality, a product with a complex sensory profile. The physical poles (PSP-p and PPM-p) were compared with the novel application of theoretical poles, i.e., descriptions of key sensory attributes (PSP-t and PPM-t). Both PSP and PPM, effectively distinguished samples across quality grades, though high and moderate quality poles were poorly differentiated. This was irrespective of method or pole type, due to the overlap of positive sensory attributes that varied only in intensity. Theoretical poles showed potential but were less effective than physical poles, highlighting the need for inclusion of more nuanced attributes. Combining PPM-p with Ultra Flash Profiling (UFP) improved categorisation accuracy, as UFP descriptors aligned closely with the respective quality grades. These findings support PSP and PPM as practical tools for quality control of products with complex sensory profiles. Future application will benefit from refining theoretical pole definitions and training quality control personnel to reliably assess attribute intensities.
Sensory and consumer science aims to understand, describe, and predict people's experiences (sensory, emotional, hedonic, etc.) of stimuli or products through measurement and analysis of their reactions thereto. How well these analyses address our research questions is, however, rarely interrogated. We instead routinely rely on the traditional practice and associated inferential guidelines of frequentist null hypothesis statistical testing (NHST) and p-values. Here we propose a renewed discussion on how data analysis is handled within sensory and consumer science. Specifically, we posit that Bayesian inference is a valuable addition to our statistical toolbox. While NHST evaluates statistical hypotheses by asking “how likely are the data given the hypothesized (null) value?”, the Bayesian statistical framework flips this to “what is the relative compatibility of different values given the data and our pre-existing beliefs?” thereby directly addressing the questions we are often seeking answers to. In this article we: discuss common concerns with NHST, contrast the underpinnings of NHST and Bayesian inference, describe how Bayesian inference is conducted, directly compare the results of previously published data analysed using both approaches, and exemplify using Bayesian inference for two common cases in sensory and consumer science (determining discriminability and intensity equivalence). We also address common practical and analytical concerns with Bayesian statistics. Deeper appreciation for how statistical and scientific inference are related as well as increased awareness of and competence in different statistical approaches would enrich our research. Given the advantages the approach offers, this effort should include increased use of Bayesian inference.
Retronasal odor perception interacts with taste and other sensory modalities during flavor perception. However, the influence of sweet taste on retronasal odor identification, and its modulation by age, remains poorly understood. Here, we investigated the effects of gymnemic acid (GA)-induced sweet taste suppression on retronasal odor identification in younger (n = 83) and older adults (n = 41). Using a mixed factorial design, participants completed the ThreeT test under normal and sweet taste suppression conditions, with subjective taste ratings, odor identification accuracy, and reaction times recorded. Results showed that oral rinsing with GA significantly reduced perceived sweetness intensity, confirming effective sweet taste suppression. At the behavioral level, sweet taste suppression affected retronasal odor identification in an age-dependent manner, as indicated by a significant age group × condition interaction. Follow-up analyses indicated that odor identification performance decreased in older adults under sweet taste suppression (p = 0.003), whereas no significant change was observed in younger adults (p = 0.330). Reaction times showed a similar reduction under sweet taste suppression across age groups. These findings suggest that the contribution of sweet taste to retronasal odor identification is age-dependent, with older adults showing greater reliance on gustatory input for successful odor identification. The results provide new insights into gustatory–olfactory interactions and highlight the importance of multisensory integration mechanisms in chemosensory aging, with potential implications for understanding flavor perception under reduced-sugar conditions across the lifespan.
Consumer evaluations of high-potency sweeteners often show substantial variability in relative sweetness (RS) and sensory profiles. This study examined whether genetic bitter taste sensitivity, sweet liking, and stevia exposure history explain individual variability in the sweetness evaluations of rebaudioside A and rebaudioside M. A total of 106 adults completed two-alternative forced-choice comparisons against 4% and 8% sucrose references to estimate RS, with sucrose-caffeine mixtures included to probe bitterness-related modulation. Iso-sweet samples were subsequently evaluated using a rate-all-that-apply (RATA) test to characterize sensory profiles. Participants were classified by 6-propyl-2-thiouracil (PROP) sensitivity, sweet-liking level (low/moderate/high) and stevia consumption frequency (low/high). PROP sensitivity was not significantly associated with RS estimates, concentration-response functions, or RATA-derived sensory profiles. In contrast, sweet liking significantly differentiated responses. Low sweet-likers showed higher RS at the 4% sucrose level than moderate or high sweet-likers, whereas group differences were attenuated at 8%. In the RATA task, moderate and high sweet-likers reported stronger non-sweet attributes, whereas low sweet-likers reported stronger sweet aftertaste. Stevia consumption frequency also differentiated response patterns, particularly under conditions where the balance between sweet and non-sweet cues shifted. The high-frequency group reported stronger non-sweet attributes and lower RS, suggesting greater perceptual separation of non-sweet cues from sweetness. These findings indicate that variability in RS judgments and sweetness profiles is not primarily driven by PROP sensitivity, but rather reflects differences in how consumers weight sensory cues based on liking and experience. This highlights the importance of consumer heterogeneity in evaluating sweetener performance and reduced-sugar product design.
