Food Quality and Preference最新文献

{"title":"Group sequential and adaptive group sequential tests in sensory and consumer studies","authors":"Michael Meyners","doi":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105523","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105523","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Sequential methods have been suggested in sensory and consumer science before but have seen limited applications so far. This can be attributed to the fact that only sequential probability ratio tests have been described in detail, which are impractical as data are rarely collected and analyzed one data point at a time. As an alternative, group sequential methods collect and analyze data in batches, which better reflects common practice in consumer and sensory studies. Scarcer budgets require more efficient use of resources, and (adaptive) group sequential methods can play a significant role to achieve this. An abundance of related methods has been proposed primarily in the biometrical area, ranging from equal group sizes over different group sizes to adaptive designs which allow for modification of sample sizes or other aspects for subsequent study stages based on interim analysis results. Also, early stopping for futility is an option in case initial data are not promising; it is particularly useful when little is known about the (relative) performance of products upon planning the study.</div><div>We briefly review key concepts and methods, and we illustrate these for the simple but important example of paired preference tests with the objective to show superiority. Other applications in sensory and consumer research like, e.g., sequential monadic designs can follow the same concepts but might be technically more complex. Entertaining an interim analysis generally comes at the cost of lower power or increased maximum sample size. The benefit lies in the potentially significant savings when early data are clear enough either to support the desired outcome of the study, or to indicate that there is little hope for the study to succeed. Adaptive designs also offer the opportunity to fine-tune the final sample size based on early results, such as to limit the effort to what is really needed, or to expand on the effort to save a study from likely failure. We show how and why the different approaches are technically robust and what benefits they can bring to consumer and sensory studies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":322,"journal":{"name":"Food Quality and Preference","volume":"129 ","pages":"Article 105523"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143748057","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exploring consumer acceptance of grass-derived proteins in the UK: A structural equation modelling approach","authors":"Anne Wambui Mumbi ,&nbsp;Sara Arancibia ,&nbsp;Daniel May ,&nbsp;Helen Pittson ,&nbsp;Karl Behrendt ,&nbsp;Adeboye Akindoyin Awomuti ,&nbsp;Frank Vriesekoop","doi":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105527","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105527","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Grass-derived proteins, as a novel and sustainable source of nutrition, offer potential solutions for food security and environmental sustainability but face challenges in consumer adoption. This study investigates the factors influencing consumer acceptance and intentions to consume grass-derived proteins in the United Kingdom using a Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) approach to capture the complex relationships among psychological, social, and product-related variables. Data were collected via a cross-sectional survey of 990 participants, capturing attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control, facilitators and food neophobia. The findings reveal that facilitators such as perceived health benefits, nutritional value, and safety significantly enhance consumer willingness to adopt grass-derived ingredients. Further, negative attitudes reduce positive attitudes towards meat preferences which in turn leads to positive intentions to consume grass-derived proteins. A multigroup analysis of the meat avoiders-reducers and regular meat consumers reveals different pathways influencing their behavioural intentions. Facilitators emerge as the strongest predictors of intention for both groups, but differences in the strength of pathways underscore the need for tailored marketing and policy interventions. For avoiders-reducers, direct pathways from facilitators to intention dominate, while indirect pathways involving attitudes towards meat hold minimal influence.</div><div>Conversely, meat consumers exhibit stronger resistance tied to cultural perceptions of grass-derived products. These findings suggest emphasizing strategies to enhance consumer familiarity and address sensory concerns while leveraging the environmental and health benefits of grass-derived proteins. By addressing group-specific drivers and barriers, these efforts can foster broader acceptance of sustainable food innovations, contributing to global goals for food security and environmental sustainability.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":322,"journal":{"name":"Food Quality and Preference","volume":"129 ","pages":"Article 105527"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143734939","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"European consumers' involvement with date labels and implications for household food waste","authors":"D. Cliceri ,&nbsp;M. Pedrotti ,&nbsp;F. Gasperi ,&nbsp;I. Endrizzi","doi":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105522","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105522","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Food waste (FW) in the European Union remains a significant challenge, with over 58 million tons generated annually. Consumer behavior, particularly in relation to food-date labels, is a key factor influencing FW. This study focuses on patterns of involvement with date labels, examining how understanding, attention, and behavioral responses to date labels vary across consumer segments. By clustering consumers based on these dimensions, the research aims to identify distinct involvement patterns toward date labels and the impact on FW decisions.</div><div>The study involved 1507 consumers (54.6 % female, mean age = 44.9 years) from six EU countries (Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden). Participants completed an online questionnaire assessing their understanding, attention, and behavioral responses to date labels, alongside their reported domestic FW behaviors, sociodemographics, and FW management skills.</div><div>Results indicate that 75.2 % of European consumers understand the difference between ‘use by’ and ‘best before’ dates, and over 80 % correctly identify the meanings of these terms. Increased understanding correlates with reduced household FW, but this factor alone is insufficient to significantly lower waste levels. Additionally, enhanced use of date labels plays a crucial role in minimizing FW.</div><div>The study identifies distinct consumer segments toward date labels: “Higher involvement” segment (23.9 % of subjects), who rely on date labels for food management, “Lower involvement” segment (33.4 %), who base their decisions on other elements such as sensory cues, and “Medium involvement” segment (42.6 %), which shows intermediate characteristics. This segmentation provides valuable insights for designing targeted interventions aimed at improving date label usage and reducing household FW.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":322,"journal":{"name":"Food Quality and Preference","volume":"129 ","pages":"Article 105522"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143726023","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Is this spicy? Investigation of factors that influence spicy food choices by US older adults","authors":"Patrycja Urszula Żukowska ,&nbsp;Bryan Michael L. Pepito ,&nbsp;Helena Maria Andre Bolini ,&nbsp;Carolyn F. Ross","doi":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105515","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105515","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The inclusion of spicy compounds in the older adult diet can promote interest, appetite and health benefits of this growing population. The objective of this study was to increase the understanding of the concept of “spicy” by US older adults, considering factors that influence spicy food preferences. Respondents (<em>n</em> = 656; average age = 65.7) completed an online survey of 70 questions including spicy-specific questions. In general, respondents enjoyed spicy foods, with moderate spicy preference and spicy consumption (2-3×/week on average). When defining “spicy” in foods, respondents used terms such as <em>hot</em>, <em>burn, pepper</em>; ginger was also used as being associated with health benefits. An increased consumption of spicy foods was associated with higher spicy liking and spicy preferences (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.0001). Respondents who had higher spicy liking were less likely to report <em>hot</em> and <em>tingling</em> as physiological sensations perceived during consumption of spicy foods while respondents who perceived more <em>burning</em>, <em>stinging</em>, <em>prickling</em> and <em>nasal irritation</em> sensations had lower spicy preference (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.01). Respondents who liked spicy foods had associated positive emotions of <em>adventurous (</em>39.3 %) and <em>satisfied (29.7 %)</em> (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.0001) while respondents who did not like spicy foods cited more negative emotions, including <em>worried</em> and <em>wild (13.3 %; p</em> &lt; 0.001). Liking of spicy foods and spicy preferences was positively related to frequency of travel and cuisine preference. The results of this study demonstrate the interplay between sensory perceptions, emotions, psychosocial factors and spicy food preferences in older adults.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":322,"journal":{"name":"Food Quality and Preference","volume":"129 ","pages":"Article 105515"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143685466","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"As good as fresh nutritionally but not perceived that way: Implicit and explicit biases towards canned and frozen fruits and vegetables","authors":"L.M. Dudley,&nbsp;S. Saluja,&nbsp;R.J. Stevenson,&nbsp;H.M. Francis,&nbsp;T.I. Case","doi":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105517","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105517","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Globally, fruit and vegetable (F&amp;V) consumption is lower than recommended, with inadequate consumption linked to many non-communicable diseases. Inadequate F&amp;V consumption can, in part, result from the cost and access barriers to fresh F&amp;V that are present in certain parts of the world. While use of canned and frozen F&amp;Vs may provide a solution, their consumption/acceptability tends to be lower than fresh F&amp;V. This study explored the explicit and implicit biases that may exist towards canned and frozen F&amp;V in comparison to fresh equivalents. In Study 1, participants were administered self-report scales that measured their beliefs towards canned, frozen and fresh F&amp;V across health, convenience, and appeal, including the impact of Australia's health star rating system. In Study 2, Implicit Association Tests were administered for canned and frozen F&amp;V, versus fresh. In Study 1, explicit ratings confirmed a strong preference for fresh F&amp;V, particularly regarding health, even when participants were informed about the equivalent health star ratings. The study also highlighted a convenience advantage for canned and frozen foods, although these benefits did not outweigh the bias towards fresh produce. In Study 2, an implicit bias against canned and frozen F&amp;V was evident, with significantly slower categorization times for positive associations, compared to fresh F&amp;V. These findings indicate the existence of an attitudinal bias against frozen and canned F&amp;V. To increase intake of F&amp;V, especially when fresh F&amp;V is not accessible/affordable, future research needs to understand how to target the identified biases that limit consumption of canned and frozen alternatives.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":322,"journal":{"name":"Food Quality and Preference","volume":"129 ","pages":"Article 105517"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143704107","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"How self-esteem elevates the subjective value of local food","authors":"Matthew D. Meng ,&nbsp;Ӧzgün Atasoy ,&nbsp;C. Miguel Brendl","doi":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105513","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105513","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Consumer preference for locally produced food is often attributed to environmental, ethical, and quality-related motives. However, this research identifies a novel psychological mechanism rooted in self-concept and self-esteem that influences local food valuation. Across two experiments, we demonstrate that local products foster a stronger product-self association, leading to higher subjective valuation (Experiment 1). Furthermore, this premium is driven by the transfer of positive self-evaluations to local products—as shown by experimentally lowered self-esteem eliminating the premium (Experiment 2). These findings expand the understanding of consumer preferences for local food by revealing how implicit psychological factors, beyond traditional reasons, shape preferences for local products. Implications for marketing, public policy, and future research directions are discussed.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":322,"journal":{"name":"Food Quality and Preference","volume":"129 ","pages":"Article 105513"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143760433","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Disgusting, sustainable, odd: A study on consumers' social representation of insect-based food and its association with TPB variables","authors":"Anna Miglietta ,&nbsp;Marco Rizzo ,&nbsp;Barbara Loera","doi":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105510","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105510","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Despite their potential as sustainable protein sources, insect-based food products are facing slow acceptance by European consumers. The study investigated societal attitudes toward insect-based foods according to a survey of Italian consumers. Employing the Theory of Social Representation (SR) and the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) the study adopted a quali-quatitative approach to identify the interplay between cultural factors and determinants of behavioral intentions to consume insect-based foods.</div><div>The study sample (<em>N</em> = 380) responded to a two-part online survey: a free word association task to the stimulus “insect-based food” and a structured questionnaire of TPB variables (attitude toward insect-based food, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, behavioral intention) and its pertinent extensions, i.e., disgust, food neophobia, and positive moral attitudes. The lexical corpus derived from free associations was analyzed with ALCESTE and the resulting lexical classes were illustrated by means of quantitative measures.</div><div>Three social representations of insect-based food, varying in their degree of abstraction/concreteness and perceived safety and effectiveness, were identified and labeled as “Simply Disgusting,” “Nutritious and Sustainable,” and “Curiosity and Caution.” Each representation was associated with a well-defined profile of participants and was clearly linked to participants' beliefs about insect-based food, the moral implications of these dietary choices, and consumers' intentions to purchase such products.</div><div>The study suggests the need for targeted interventions to address societal misconception and foster a more favorable perception of insect-based food products as viable food options in European diets. Our findings provide insights for policymakers and producers seeking to promote sustainable dietary choices.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":322,"journal":{"name":"Food Quality and Preference","volume":"129 ","pages":"Article 105510"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143685464","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Decoding the Taste Puzzle: Toward a better understanding of taste profiling","authors":"Parvaneh Parvin ,&nbsp;Floor Rikken ,&nbsp;Chao Zhang ,&nbsp;Sanne Boesveldt","doi":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105474","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105474","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Personalizing a diet based on individual taste preferences can lead to healthier dietary habits. However, the lack of comprehensive data on meal taste profiles limits effective personalization. To address this gap, our study employed both a survey study and a tasting trial to gather a detailed taste profile of 18 expert-designed recipes. A total of 2046 participants (55.5% female, mean age of <span><math><mrow><mn>47</mn><mo>.</mo><mn>4</mn><mo>±</mo><mn>13</mn><mo>.</mo><mn>4</mn></mrow></math></span>) in the survey, and in the tasting trial, 48 participants (83.3% female, mean age of <span><math><mrow><mn>37</mn><mo>.</mo><mn>6</mn><mo>±</mo><mn>14</mn><mo>.</mo><mn>5</mn></mrow></math></span>) provided insights into their taste perception, their familiarity with meals and overall liking. Our data revealed a substantial variability in survey responses, suggesting relying solely on survey data may not yield sufficiently accurate data to predict the taste profile of meals. Among all tastes, sweetness emerged as the most precisely predictable taste, whereas bitter taste posed significant challenges. Comparative analysis using a linear mixed model showed that ingredient-based data is comparable to or slightly better predictor of the taste profile than the survey, except for sweetness. Furthermore, hierarchical analysis underscored the critical role of taste interactions in enhancing the model fit. Future research should aim to collect more comprehensive data, encompassing a greater variety of meals to cover broader taste and trigeminal profiles. Our study sets the groundwork for more sophisticated predictive modeling for dietary customization.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":322,"journal":{"name":"Food Quality and Preference","volume":"129 ","pages":"Article 105474"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143685463","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"FinnFoodPics: A database of Finnish snack foods for investigating modern eating behaviors","authors":"Arsene Kanyamibwa ,&nbsp;Hendrik Hartmann ,&nbsp;Daniel Fängström ,&nbsp;William Vikatmaa ,&nbsp;Beyza Pocan ,&nbsp;Emily E. Perszyk ,&nbsp;Xue S. Davis ,&nbsp;Artemii Nikitin ,&nbsp;Patrik Wikman ,&nbsp;Tiina Pellinen ,&nbsp;Niina E. Kaartinen ,&nbsp;Ursula Schwab ,&nbsp;Annette Horstmann","doi":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105512","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105512","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Modern food items often contain high proportions of saturated fats and refined carbohydrates. Food images are a valuable tool for studying the effects of these diets on eating behavior and disease prevalence. We created and validated a Finnish food picture set to facilitate studies on food choice and eating behavior called “FinnFoodPics.” We photographed 72 commonly consumed Finnish food items, classifying them as high in carbohydrate (22 items), high in fat (21 items), or high in carbohydrate <em>and</em> fat (combo) (29 items). Sixty-two participants completed perceptual ratings for all our food items, while we also collected information on food characteristics and the images' visual properties across categories. Bayesian ANOVA confirmed that our items were familiar to our sample and had moderate uniformity across categories. We found strong evidence of perceptual and food characteristic differences across macronutrient categories for all assessed parameters. Thus, “FinnFoodPics” provides a reliable tool for researchers to study food-related behavior in Finland and facilitates the replicability and comparability of studies using visual snack food stimuli.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":322,"journal":{"name":"Food Quality and Preference","volume":"129 ","pages":"Article 105512"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143696812","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Fact-based environmental messaging did not influence Australians' attitudes and intentions towards cultivated seafood","authors":"Sarah J. Cook ,&nbsp;Adam P.A. Cardilini ,&nbsp;Alexa Hayley ,&nbsp;Prue Francis","doi":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105514","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105514","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Our oceans currently experience perilous times from a worsening climate crisis and other human impacts. Wild caught and farmed seafood production represents a primary human impact on marine ecosystems. Urgent action must be taken to reduce the effects of these impacts while simultaneously considering the protein needs of a growing global population. Cultivated seafood is a food product of the cellular agriculture industry, which seeks to create alternative seafood production methods. Cultivated seafood has the potential to significantly reduce our reliance on wild-caught fish and aquaculture systems. Consumer perceptions will play a vital role in the acceptance and uptake of such products. We investigated consumer perceptions of cultivated seafood for Australians (<em>N</em> = 1005). Using a 2 × 3 factorial design, we tested whether fact-based environmental messaging influenced attitudes and intentions to try and eat cultivated seafood, and seafood from wild-caught and farmed production systems. We also investigated whether demographic variables related to attitudes and intentions for each seafood production type. We found that environmental messaging did not influence consumers attitudes and intentions towards cultivated seafood. However, it did reduce participants attitudes and intentions to consume wild-caught seafood. Males and younger participants reported more favourable attitudes and intentions towards cultivated seafood. Higher preferences for seafood saw stronger attitudes and intentions towards consumption of all seafood production systems. Understanding drivers of consumers' attitudes and intentions towards cultivated seafood will inform communication approaches highlighting the positive potential of cultivated seafood and contribute to its successful introduction to the mass market.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":322,"journal":{"name":"Food Quality and Preference","volume":"129 ","pages":"Article 105514"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143685465","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}