In a world in which the Internet and social media platforms are becoming more ubiquitous and increasingly used, researchers can take advantage of this valuable source of information to study consumer behavior. Immeasurable amounts of data, including text, photos, and videos, on a wide range of topics, are continuously and spontaneously uploaded by social media users. In this chapter, an overview of social media platforms and the potential use of social media data for consumer research is given. Different approaches to data collection and data analysis are reviewed, as well as the advantages and disadvantages that researchers should be aware of before undertaking a social media research project.

This research was motivated by the sustainable food transition and focused on plant-based (PB) alternatives to yoghurt, cheese, eggs and fish (salmon). An online study was conducted with 1667 consumers from the United Kingdom who were omnivores. Among participants, 24 % were restricted omnivores (or flexitarians) and made some efforts to reduce their animal food intake. Written names were used as product stimuli and varied according to protein type (PB or animal-based). Compared with animal foods, the findings revealed a strong negative perception of PB variants that spanned the four product categories and seven response variables - overall appeal, healthy, affordable, good for the environment, tasty, natural, and versatile. Further, it extended to behavioural intention, where willingness to eat the PB variants was much lower than for the animal-based counterparts. The effect of nutrition and/or ingredient information on product perceptions and behavioural intent was examined, but no major effect was found. When participants were segmented according to their stated willingness to transition to a vegetarian diet, those with a higher willingness (similar to 1/3 of the total sample) perceived the PB variants more positively than those with lower transition willingness. This latter group (19 % of participants) also showed a significantly higher willingness to eat the PB food alternatives. Collectively, the findings contribute to the accumulating evidence that PB alternatives to animal foods may face many barriers to uptake among consumers who are currently not open to major dietary changes towards sustainability.

We respond to the three commentaries (Varela, 2025; Lee, 2025; Beckley et al., 2025) submitted in relation to our paper defining the field of Sensory and Consumer Science (Jaeger et al., 2024). Rather than attempting to address every aspect of these detailed and thoughtful commentaries, we concentrate on four discussion points: 1) Do we require a definition of our field?; 2) What should our field be called?; 3) Is non-food part of our field?; and 4) What is the nature and scope of our field? The prevailing view supports the importance of defining the field. To remain relevant, we must revise and update the definition regularly. Over time, the field has broadened in content, and this trend may persist. There is room for ongoing discussion on how to name the field and the central role of sensory (perception) science. Two of the commentaries were food-centric. While we agree that the food domain will continue to dominate the field due to its historical ties with food science, we also believe that non-food is part of our field and hope for growth in this domain. The field is broad and multidisciplinary and is evolving towards being interdisciplinary. We all agree this is a positive development.

Best-Worst Scaling (BWS) is well suited to survey research, and since this way of collecting data is gaining popularity, it is likely that applications of BWS, especially online, will increase. Despite the many advantages of online surveys, there is a growing awareness that particular attention needs to be given to data quality including the identification and elimination of 'bad respondents'. Post hoc data cleaning is the focus of the present research, which in the context of Case 1 BWS (object case) was directed to two indices of participant response consistency - root likelihood (RLH) and normalised error variance (ErrVarNorm), where the latter was newly developed. Across 18 studies in food consumer science, the two indices are applied, compared and evaluated. It is possible to apply both indices to the data, but if only a single index is to be used, the ErrVarNorm index is recommended because it is easy to calculate, directly measures response consistency and is logically coherent. ErrVarNorm ranges from 0 to 1, where higher values indicate greater response consistency. When excluding participants based on ErrVarNorm < 0.3, between 0 % and 12.4 % of participants were excluded (mean = 5.75 %), while ErrVarNorm < 0.5 led to between 0 % and 23.8 % of participants being excluded (mean = 13.1 %). Excluded participants were more likely to be men and below the age of 45 years old. The impact on study conclusions when excluding participants based on ErrVarNorm < 0.5 were illustrated for three studies in support of the importance of data cleaning.

Data from online product reviews offers a novel avenue for the sensory characterisation of food. But, little research has investigated the quality of sensory information in the online reviews. The aim of this research was to investigate consumer online reviews as sources of sensory attributes of food products (starting with a minimum of 1000 online reviews per product), and to assess how the resulting sensory product profiles compare to profiles obtained in a central location test with 105 consumers using rate-all-that-apply (RATA) questions. A case study was conducted with five unflavoured coffee samples. A semi-automated approach, combining natural language processing and sensory science expertise was used to clean online review data, develop a sensory lexicon, and analyse the frequency of attributes used by consumers. It was possible to develop online review-based sensory product profiles and discriminate the five samples on this basis. Consumers used a small set of broad, mostly intensity related sensory terms (e.g. 'Bold/rich', 'Strong/intense', 'Smooth', 'Weak/bland') more frequently than descriptive terms. Canonical analysis showed high agreement between new method and RATA for product discrimination and between two group of descriptors. The first group (including 'Coffee Flavor,' 'Rich in Flavor', and 'Smell of Coffee') is associated with the intensity of flavour of coffee, while the second group describes characteristic flavour of coffee (including 'Bold', 'Dark' 'Body'). Furthermore, care should be taken when implementing these findings in food categories with lower levels of consumer engagement, where consumer comments relating to sensory properties in online reviews may be less frequent.

This manuscript aims to raise awareness of the need for Sensory & Consumer Science professionals to be more diligent about data quality control when conducting consumer surveys and experiments online. This aim is achieved by (i) summarising recent research on data quality by Jaeger and Cardello (2022) and Castura et al. (2023), (ii) contributing to a broader understanding of data quality, and (iii) recommending a more systematic adoption of practices aimed to enhance data quality in online consumer research. Various suggestions are put forward to support Sensory & Consumer Science professionals who wish to pay greater attention to the quality of online data collection. We advocate for making online consumer data quality an integral part of the research process to improve the validity and reliability of research outcomes, ultimately benefiting the final users, including science, industry, and policymakers.

This paper proposes an updated, contemporary definition of Sensory and Consumer Science. We do so based on survey results from 221 professionals, meaning that the definition represents more than our personal views. Specifically, the proposed definition is: “Sensory and Consumer Science is an interdisciplinary field that encompasses sensory-only research and consumer-centric studies, focusing both on responses to specific products and consumer behaviour more generally. While the field is primarily centred on food, it also extends to non-food items. Researchers employ both quantitative and qualitative methods to conduct their studies. Sensory and Consumer professionals engage in both basic academic research and applied commercial research, operating within an increasingly global and multicultural context.” All aspects of this definition were endorsed by a majority of the professionals participating in the surveys, and some aspects were nearly universally accepted. A longer version of the definition is also proposed, which helps to explain/elaborate on the different elements. We urge further discussion and refinement of the short and long definitions. This may lead to further variants that are narrower/broader in scope depending on personal and professional preferences and context.

The purpose of the present research was to deliver new knowledge of consumer expectations for plant-based (PB) alternatives to cream cheese (PBCCA) by conducting a category appraisal study. Around 1100 consumers from the United Kingdom (UK) who followed omnivore and flexitarian diets participated in an online survey. They evaluated 13 written stimuli presented as product names encompassing dairy cream cheese and PBCCAs in different flavours (original/natural, garlic/herb, salmon, strawberry, chocolate) and different product formulations (low-fat, lactose-free). A multi-response approach was used that obtained sensory, emotional, conceptual, and versatility product evaluations. The research findings, which matched predictions, showed: (1) negative product expectations for PBCCAs replicated across flavour variants, providing evidence of a systematic PB effect relative to cream cheese; (2) sensory and non-sensory drivers of expected product liking resembled those established for the cream cheese category with actual product experience; (3) sensory and non-sensory drivers of expected product versatility strongly resembled those of expected product liking; (4) groups of consumers existed with different preferences, including flavour and product type preferences (dairy, PBCCA); and (5) negative product expectations for PBCCAs translated to a stated behavioural preference for cream cheese over PBCCA, and dairy-based samples were chosen over their PB counterparts regardless of flavour. The category appraisal approach confirmed the systematic negative appeal of PBCCAs relative to their dairy counterparts. This was in line with findings from past research on other PB alternative foods and invites a rethinking of the appeal of this class of products to participants in this research, who represent a large segment of UK consumers.

This study explores consumer perceptions of different agricultural systems to understand why some are regarded more favourably than others are. Five agricultural systems were compared in the context of lettuce cultivation: vertical indoor agriculture, small-scale local agriculture (local/small), high-tech greenhouses, urban community gardens, and industrial agriculture. Given the lack of knowledge among consumers about agricultural production, images and brief descriptions of the different systems were used as research stimuli. Explicit and implicit responses (as determined by eye tracking and facial coding) were recorded from 105 Spanish consumers. Local/small agriculture was the most favourably regarded of all aspects under consideration. Urban community gardens were the second most positively evaluated of the five agricultural systems; however, lettuce produced in this system was perceived as less safe to eat. Conversely, lettuce cultivated in high-tech greenhouses is regarded as safer to consume, yet this method of agriculture is also perceived as less sustainable. The emotional response was characterised by low intensity, with a notable exception in the case of vertical indoor farming, which elicited a stronger surprise reaction due to the limited familiarity of consumers with this farming system. Further research should include additional perceptions, such as naturalness and freshness, and analyse individual consumer responses to identify further differences among agricultural systems.

Globally, dietary salt intake significantly exceeds the WHO's recommendations of 5 g/day. A high salt intake can lead to high blood pressure which increases the risk of serious diseases such as cardiovascular diseases and stroke. It is known that some foods are perceived as saltier than their actual salt content. Such foods may have a “salt substitution potential” to be used in product development of food that are perceived saltier than their actual salt content.The aim was 1) to quantify perception of saltiness in a broad range of foods as perceived by consumers; 2) to identify foods that have a high “salt substitution potential”.318 participants answered an online survey on perceived saltiness of 59 common foods. By comparing actual salt content with perceived saltiness, a “salt substitution index” was calculated for each of the food items.Results showed that balsamic vinegar, followed by tomato puree and cheese pufs had the high salt substitution potential. Perception of a higher salinity than the actual salt content may be explained by the distribution of salt. It may also be explained by associations to saltiness, preferences and sensitivity. This may help guide reduced-salt product innovation efforts and contribute to improved dietary health.

Reliance on animal foods must be reduced to improve planetary and human well-being. This research studied plant-based cheese alternatives (PBCA) relative to dairy cheese in a consumer taste test with 157 consumers in New Zealand. A case study approach used cream cheese (commercially available) as the focal product category (2 PBCA, 2 dairy) and implemented a multi-response paradigm (hedonic, sensory, emotional, conceptual, situational). “Beyond liking” insights were established, including drivers of liking (sensory, non-sensory) and sensory drivers of non-sensory product associations. Two consumer segments were identified, of which the largest (n = 111) liked PBCA and dairy samples equally (6.5–6.7 of 9). In this PBCA Likers cluster, the key sensory drivers of liking were ‘creamy/smooth mouthfeel’, ‘dissolves quickly in mouth’, and ‘sweet’, while a significant penalty was associated with ‘mild/bland flavour’. The non-sensory data contributed additional consumer insights, including the four samples being perceived as differently appropriate for 9 of 12 use situations, with PBCA being regarded as less appropriate. In the limited confines of this case on cream cheese, the findings show that PBCA need not be inferior to their dairy counterparts despite a general narrative to the contrary. Of note, the results were obtained among participants who were open to eating a more PB diet but were not vegetarian or vegan.

Local foods offer benefits for the sustainability of the food supply chain, yet they face challenges due to variability in production and market saturation. This highlights the importance of strategies to enhance their value. Among local foods, multifloral honey is one of the products most closely tied to the territory. A comprehension of how multifloral honey is structured from a sensory standpoint can prove advantageous in enhancing its recognition and valorization among consumers. The present study aimed to promote multifloral honey in the case of a local area, identifying typical examples of multifloral honey and their sensory determinants, and identifying the association among sensory attributes and affective-related responses of consumers. Thirty samples of multifloral honey were collected from a target local area (Trento province - Italy). Experts in honey sensory evaluation (n = 47) performed a rapid descriptive task (check-all-that-apply questions) and a categorization task (typicality evaluation). Six samples representative of the category sensory space were selected for consumer evaluation. Consumers recruited from the local area (n = 131) rated liking and elicited post-consumption emotional product associations. The results unveiled the sensory representation of the multifloral honey category, with samples arrangement in accordance with category typicality. The study defined the sensory characteristics associated with typicality of the multifloral honey from the target local area and identified local consumers' affectiverelated responses to the features that define the typicality. Beyond the honey realm, this approach can represent a model of a methodological approach for studying the enhancement of local foods that exhibit relevant sensory variability.

Sensory and consumer research now frequently takes place online. This comes with advantages, but also the potential for poor quality data. This presentation11Oral presentation to the Pangborn Sensory Science Symposium held in Nantes (France) in August 2023. raises awareness of the factors that influence online data quality by 1) identifying factors that can impact the reliability and validity of consumer data obtained with online questionnaires, 2) highlighting indices of online questionnaire data quality that can be used to assess the likelihood of reduced quality, and 3) recommending good practices for assessing online questionnaire data quality. By raising awareness of sources of invalidity in online survey research and by presenting available remedies and good practices, we hope that colleagues will begin to adopt relevant measures. Specific suggestions are offered regarding the important elements of data quality to include in scientific manuscripts. To augment, findings from an empirical examination of data quality in an online survey (1846 UK participants) are presented. Key insights were 1) proportion of survey participants that provided data of reduced quality, 2) different types of data quality indices provide different perspectives on reduced data quality, 3) time to complete survey tasks is related to data quality, 4) some participant characteristics could be more strongly associated with reduced data quality.

Many people in the Western world wish to reduce dietary reliance on animal-based and animal-derived foods. Plant-based (PB) meat and dairy alternatives can aid in this transition, but in the dairy category, only the milk market is well developed. Attention in the present research is, therefore, directed to PB cheese alternatives (PBCA), which were studied relative to dairy cheeses in a consumer taste test (central location setting) with 157 New Zealand (NZ) consumers conducted in 2023. Five commercial semi-hard cheeses from cow's milk and three commercial PBCAs in the cheddar style were tested. All samples were presented blind, and a multi-response measurement paradigm (hedonic, sensory, emotional, conceptual, situational, attitudinal) was used. Results showed that, without major exception, all PBCAs had lower liking ratings, inferior sensory, emotional and conceptual characterisations and poorer attitudinal and situational use evaluations than their dairy counterparts. Further, all of the PBCAs were rated similarly, as contrasted with the dairy cheese samples, which were differentiated based on textural and flavour attributes, liking and non-sensory characterisations. It was concluded that, as a whole, PBCAs in the 2023 NZ market were poorly accepted by consumers, suggesting that much more research and consumer-focused product development is needed before these products offer consumers suitable choices if they seek to transition from an animal-based to a PB diet.

More efficient production of food crops is required. Without difficulty in feeding the world, improving health and protecting the environment will accelerate. Vertical farming (VF) using a plant factory system with artificial lighting (PFAL) may be part of the solution and the focus of this article that begins by introducing the technology. To contribute to Sustainable Development Goals progress, VF faces many and major challenges. In addition, it must gain consumer acceptance. While the literature points to a greater likelihood of overall acceptance than rejection by consumers, a perception also exists that VF is unnatural/artificial. The latter manifests in negative expectations for VF-grown foods, but consumption experience disconfirms these. Product quality can be high, and widespread consumer rejection may, therefore, not be the biggest challenge for VF.

An online survey of consumers' liking, emotional, conceptual and sustainability expectations in response to traditional, plant-based (PB), and sustainable yoghurt product names was conducted with 1206 New Zealanders. Results showed that consumers' sensory expectations are associated with hedonic and non-sensory expectations. Consumers' sensory, emotional, conceptual and sustainability ideations and the impact of these variables on expected liking parallel the findings from recent tests of tasted yoghurts. Per cognitive theories of predictive processing, the results support the hypothesis that judgments of sensory expectations may provide important insights into likely product perceptions. The results also support the notion that surveys of consumer product expectations can be a tool to obtain consumer insights about new products, including PB and sustainable alternatives. Since sensory expectations were associated with non-sensory expectations, modifying the sensory attributes of PB or other innovative yoghurt products may enhance consumers' conceptualizations of these products and improve their market acceptance.

Replacing animal-based protein food products with plant-based protein products is essential for human health and the environment. For this reason, a number of plant-based (PB) yoghurts have been developed to replace dairy yoghurt. However, many of these products suffer from poor sensory quality. In order to improve the quality of these products, data on the sensory drivers of liking, emotional, and conceptual responses to PB yoghurts, PB alternatives (PB blends, PB/dairy blends) and dairy yoghurts are required. In addition, in order to optimise the design of these products for sustainability-oriented consumers, research is needed on the drivers of consumers' conceptualisations of sustainability. To provide actionable product development guidance on these issues, multiattribute research was undertaken in a central location test with New Zealand consumers, using a variety of commercial PB and dairy yoghurts (blind sample presentation) that were expanded in their range of sensory attributes through ingredient modifications, with the goal of quasi-replicating and extending prior research on the sensory drivers of liking, emotions, and conceptualisations of PB yoghurts. Results of the research confirmed previous literature findings on the sensory drivers of liking and non-sensory variables in the PB yoghurt space. Among the salient findings related to sensory drivers are that white and lighter coloured yoghurts with smooth and creamy appearance and mouthfeel, sweet taste, and vanilla or coconut flavours maximise liking and positive emotional responses to yoghurt products. In addition, a number of these and other sensory characteristics elicited specific positive conceptualisations of the yoghurts. Although sustainability conceptualisations were evoked less frequently, the major positive drivers of these conceptualisations were "white colour," "sweet," "even/smooth" appearance and texture, "oat-like flavour" and "coconut flavour." "Dairy flavour" evoked conceptualisations related to "traditional" and "authentic," but also elicited a number of negative sustainability concepts, such as "resource intensive," "commercially farmed raw materials" and reduced conceptualisation of "animal friendly." Other important sensory drivers of liking, emotions and conceptualisations are discussed, providing consumer insights and direction to product developers in their efforts to improve the sensory characteristics, acceptance and consumption of PB and other alternative yoghurt products.

Like other plant-based (PB) product categories, PB milk alternatives (PBMA) are in ascendency as part of the green consumer transition and a greater focus on personal health. However, consumption remains far below that for cow’s milk, and among multiple barriers to uptake, inferior sensory properties is one problem, nutritional inadequacies another. While exceptions exist in both instances, a general need for improved products remains. The present research is situated in this nexus, and its primary aim was to contribute new consumer-centric insight regarding the sensory drivers of liking/disliking in the PBMA category. This was achieved through a central location study with adult New Zealanders (n = 143, not regular PBMA consumers) who tasted 18 different PBMA samples spanning a broad range of PB ingredients (soy, oat, coconut, almond, rice, cashew, peanut, macadamia, lentil, hemp, sesame) in different product types (single PB source, blends, barista style) with varying nutritional profiles. The most liked sample (6.5/9), which was made from soy, had the nutritional profile that most approximated cow’s milk (3 g/100 mL protein), as well as a milky appearance and taste. Its mouthfeel was smooth, and this sensory characteristic was also paramount for barista-style PBMAs being well-liked (>5.9/9) regardless of their constituent PB ingredient (oat, almond, coconut). Opportunities for product innovation within this type of PBMA was identified including for using barista-style beyond hot beverages, as these samples received positive liking scores on average. The same applied to blends as multiple-source PBMAs can facilitate improved nutritional composition, and significant scope seemed to exist to identify more liked vs less liked PB ingredient combinations (e.g., almond/rice vs coconut/sesame). By identifying, through penalty/lift analysis that positive sensory drivers of PBMA liking span all sensory modalities (appearance, taste, flavour, texture and mouthfeel), it becomes easier to appreciate that products in this category are complex and challenging to optimise. A second minor research aim was focused on the modulating influence of PBMA consumption frequency on product liking and the sensory drivers of liking. The key result was a positive association between liking and higher consumption frequency, and greater appreciation of sweet, coconut, nutty and cereal/oaty characteristics of PBMAs.

Text highlighting was recently introduced as a method for exploring consumer attitudes and perceptions. It consists of asking participants to read a piece of text on a digital device while using highlighting functions to indicate those parts of the text that they ‘like’/feel positive about, as well as those parts they ‘dislike’/feel negative about. As with any new method, methodological research helps to develop recommendations for best practice in use. In this regard, the present research addressed three research questions (RQs) in three studies with participants from New Zealand, United Kingdom, Singapore and Malaysia (ntotal = 5381). In a qualitative approach, Study 1 (RQ1) validated the notion that the text highlighting task is not expected to induce bias. Study 2 addressed RQ2 and explored whether the process of completing the text highlighting task influence consumers’ topic- and product-related responses? There was minimal evidence of this, meaning that text highlighting can reasonably be used together with other types of consumer responses without much the risk of biasing the latter. RQ3 (Study 3) investigated whether the type of highlighting task performed influence text selection. To date the method has been implemented as a dual approach (i.e., selecting both ‘like’ and ‘dislike’ aspects of the text), however, this could tentatively bias either or both responses compared to a single response task where participants select only ‘like’ highlights or only ‘dislike’ highlights. Study 3 found no effect for ‘like’ highlights when comparing dual- and single-response highlighting. However, for ‘dislike’ highlighting, significantly fewer words were selected in the dual-response approach (although the difference in frequency of selection was < 10%). The findings were established in case studies pertaining to kiwifruit and biodynamic agriculture but require confirmation in studies with different products, texts and participants.