Food Quality and Preference最新文献

{"title":"Do not push me to eat insects! Investigating consumer responses to fear appeal in the context of insect-based foods","authors":"Zining Wang ,&nbsp;Jaewoo Park","doi":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105638","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105638","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In the context of promoting insect-based foods (IBFs), persuasive messages often go beyond highlighting their nutritional and environmental benefits by emphasizing broader global issues to underscore the necessity of integrating these novel foods into our diets. However, limited research has investigated the impact of such messages on consumer acceptance. Given that these messages may evoke fear responses among individuals, building on existing literature on fear appeal, the present research aims to address this gap by investigating how these fear appeal messages influence the persuasiveness of typical benefit-based communications. In Study 1, we presented preliminary evidence that fear appeal elicits psychological reactance among individuals, and that this effect is mediated by increased perceived freedom threat. In Study 2, we replicated these findings in a more realistic advertising context, showing that fear appeal can negatively impact consumer acceptance of IBFs sequentially through perceived freedom threat and psychological reactance. Overall, these findings enhance our understanding of consumer responses to fear-based messaging in the context of promoting IBFs and offer valuable implications for guiding effective communication campaigns.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":322,"journal":{"name":"Food Quality and Preference","volume":"133 ","pages":"Article 105638"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144670194","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":"The role of consumer awareness and prior exposure in preferences for a new regional food label: Evidence from Southwest Florida","authors":"Jianhui Liu ,&nbsp;Yi Li ,&nbsp;Bachir Kassas ,&nbsp;Trent Blare","doi":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105637","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105637","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Consumer demand for locally produced food has increased in recent years, driven by both economic and quality-related perceptions. While many studies have examined the impact of established local and regional labels on consumer preferences, little is known about how consumers respond to newly introduced regional marketing labels and how their awareness of such labels evolves over time. This study addressed this gap by investigating consumer valuation of the “SWFL Fresh” label, a recently launched regional food branding initiative. Using a discrete choice experiment across two survey waves, we examined both the development of consumer awareness and the influence of prior exposure on their willingness to pay. In doing so, we offered new insights into how emerging regional labels gain market recognition and economic value. Results indicated that consumers who have previously seen the label are willing to pay 85 % more per pound of SWFL-labeled tomatoes than those with no exposure. However, no significant differences were observed between survey waves, suggesting that awareness may not have increased sufficiently over time. These findings have strong implications for regional branding strategies, highlighting the need for sustained marketing efforts and consumer engagement to enhance label recognition and economic impact.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":322,"journal":{"name":"Food Quality and Preference","volume":"133 ","pages":"Article 105637"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144653689","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":"Choice overload and experienced utility in the Chinese dairy market: The moderating role of decision styles and the impact of information nudging","authors":"Pengcheng Liu,&nbsp;Taotao Tu,&nbsp;Qingqing Dong","doi":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105635","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105635","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigates the impact of choice overload on consumers' experienced utility—the subjective emotional and cognitive burdens encountered during decision-making—within the rapidly expanding Chinese dairy market. We specifically examine how increasing decision complexity, through heightened product attribute differentiation and the introduction of similar options, affects consumers' emotional responses and overall satisfaction. Utilizing a controlled experimental design with 248 participants, classified as either maximizers or satisficers based on their individual decision-making styles, we manipulated product attributes and options across three experimental conditions. Our findings reveal that heightened attribute complexity and the presence of similar product options significantly increase negative emotions, such as anxiety and confusion, while simultaneously decreasing decision satisfaction. These adverse effects are particularly pronounced among maximizers, who are predisposed to exhaustive evaluation. Crucially, the research demonstrates that information nudging, specifically highlighting positive product attributes, effectively mitigates these negative consequences of choice overload. This strategy simplifies the decision-making process, especially for maximizers, leading to enhanced consumer experiences. By integrating the concept of experienced utility, this study offers a deeper understanding of the psychological costs consumers bear when faced with complex choices in food consumption. The insights provided are valuable for marketers and policymakers seeking to reduce cognitive load and improve consumer satisfaction amidst the growing product variety in the dairy sector, fostering more efficient and consumer-friendly decision-making.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":322,"journal":{"name":"Food Quality and Preference","volume":"133 ","pages":"Article 105635"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144623619","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 the association of personal factors with affective responses to plant-based meat alternatives with consideration of their perceived similarity to meat.","authors":"Caroline Giezenaar ,&nbsp;Annu Mehta ,&nbsp;Rebekah E. Orr ,&nbsp;A. Jonathan R. Godfrey ,&nbsp;Meika Foster ,&nbsp;Joanne Hort","doi":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105636","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105636","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Plant-based meat alternatives (PBMAs) have gained popularity as perceived sustainable replacements for meat, yet consumption remains limited. Understanding how personality traits shape PBMA consumption experience is therefore essential. This study surveyed 140 New Zealand consumers, assessing behavioural traits and attitudes related to willingness to reduce meat consumption/increase PBMA consumption. Participants completed tasting sessions evaluating commercially available PBMA products, based on flavour, texture, overall liking and emotions evoked, and sample perceived similarity to meat. Participants reported their demographic information, dietary habits, and frequency of meat and PBMA consumption. Results showed that higher social status derived from PBMA consumption were linked with higher liking ratings and citation proportion of ‘hungry’ for PBMAs. However, high negative attitude towards vegetarianism/veganism was linked to higher citation proportion for ‘unhappy’ for wholefood samples, while lower citation proportion for ‘unhappy’ for somewhat meat-like samples. High meat attachment was associated with lower perceived similarity to meat in both meat-like and somewhat meat-like samples. Additionally, the high meat consumption group reported lower texture and overall liking for meat-like samples. High variety seeking consumers (VARSEEK scores) were positively associated with flavour and overall liking for wholefood samples. Based on dietary groups, meat avoiders, generally driven by environmental and animal welfare concerns, reported more negative emotions such as ‘unhappy’ when tasting wholefood PBMAs compared to omnivores and flexitarians, despite their strong ethical and environmental motivations. The research highlights the impact of consumer behavioural traits and attitudes on their PBMA perception and acceptance, providing valuable insights for improving product development.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":322,"journal":{"name":"Food Quality and Preference","volume":"133 ","pages":"Article 105636"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144632766","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":"Consumer acceptance of edible seaweed in Mexico: An exploratory study on willingness","authors":"Paola A. Tenorio-Rodríguez ,&nbsp;Sergio Nicasio-Arzeta ,&nbsp;Daniel Robledo ,&nbsp;Yolanda Freile-Pelegrín","doi":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105630","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105630","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Edible seaweed has attracted much worldwide interest in recent years due to its nutritional and environmental advantages. However, seaweed consumption in Latin American countries remains low and is unknown. This study explores Mexican consumers' acceptance and perception of edible seaweed consumption, highlighting its potential as a sustainable food source. A national survey of Mexican consumers identified key factors influencing attitudes toward seaweed, including familiarity, food neophobia, and concerns about food safety. Despite a growing willingness to consume seaweed, particularly among younger individuals, food neophobia emerged as a significant barrier to acceptance. Additionally, regional differences were found to play a role in the willingness to incorporate this food into daily diets. These findings underscore the need to develop effective educational and communication strategies emphasizing seaweed's nutritional benefits and culinary versatility, which could facilitate its integration into the Mexican diet and contribute to food sustainability in the country.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":322,"journal":{"name":"Food Quality and Preference","volume":"133 ","pages":"Article 105630"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144596270","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":"Changes in desire for food sensory attributes according to the arousal levels of negative emotions: Focusing on anger and sadness","authors":"Jin-Hong Lee ,&nbsp;Jae-Hee Hong","doi":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105634","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105634","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Food choice and intake can be influenced by emotional state, driving cravings for certain sensory attributes. This study aimed to investigate how negative emotions with different arousal levels, such as anger (high arousal) and sadness (low arousal), affect sensory desire and identify how eating behavior types—external, emotional, and restrained eating—moderate these changes. Angry, sad, and neutral (control) states were induced using video stimuli over three weeks, with one-week intervals. These were presented in a randomized, counterbalanced order. Sensory desire was measured before and after emotion induction. Craved foods under each emotional state were listed and their sensory, emotional, and imagery attributes were assessed using a check-all-that-apply (CATA) protocol. Participants' eating behaviors were also assessed using Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire. Results (n=114) showed that emotional states, eating behavior types, and their interaction significantly influenced sensory desire, with emotions having the greatest impact. Anger increased cravings for intense flavors and chewing, while sadness increased cravings for rich flavors and soft textures. Associations among sensory, emotional, and imagery attributes were drawn from CATA results. Spicy and stimulating flavors were related to intense imagery and positive emotions with diverse arousal, while creamy and sweet attributes were linked with comforting imagery and positive low-to-middle arousal emotions. Those who exhibited no specific dietary behaviors (n=37) showed changes in a greater number of sensory desires than external eaters (n=40) and emotional/restrained eaters (n=37). These findings provide deeper insights into the psychological factors driving food intake and cravings related to negative emotions and eating behavior types.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":322,"journal":{"name":"Food Quality and Preference","volume":"133 ","pages":"Article 105634"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144632646","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":"Understanding cultural differences across global descriptive sensory panels using Generalized Procrustes Analysis","authors":"Huizi Yu,&nbsp;Beth Logan,&nbsp;Shun Xie,&nbsp;Ellena S. King","doi":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105633","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105633","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigates the implications of cultural differences on the effectiveness and comparability of global descriptive sensory panels. Six sensory panels spanning three continents (Asia, Europe and North America) evaluated the sensory profiles of six strawberry milk candy products using MMR's descriptive analysis methodology. Each sensory panel developed their own sensory language and scaling, thus allowing for regional differences to be explored. Generalized Procrustes Analysis was applied, to align all the panel data into a consensus sensory space and compare the results.</div><div>The findings demonstrated good alignment in the overall similarities and differences of the products across the panels, due to consistency in the ratings of the key sensory attributes that differentiated the products. Differences were observed across the panels in most other attributes, including fruit flavors and those with lower intensities. Regional differences were, in part, due to cultural familiarity, with sensory panels using locally relevant language and references. Panels from Europe and North America demonstrated closer alignment with one another, compared to those from Asia, especially the Indian panel.</div><div>The findings emphasize the importance of panel training and highlight areas of focus to align panels globally. Specifically, training on lower intensity attributes, fruit flavors, and clearer definitions and standardized evaluation protocols for texture attributes. This approach can mitigate the influence of cultural nuances and foster comparability in global sensory evaluations, enhancing the reliability and applicability of these assessments in a global context. This work offers insights into the development of effective global sensory evaluation strategies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":322,"journal":{"name":"Food Quality and Preference","volume":"133 ","pages":"Article 105633"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144723736","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":"Old, new, or borrowed – the role of familiarity and cross-cultural recipe integration in the liking and choices of fish products","authors":"Nora Logrén ,&nbsp;Terhi Pohjanheimo ,&nbsp;Mari Sandell ,&nbsp;Anu Hopia","doi":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105631","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105631","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Food cultures evolve as they absorb new influences while retaining aspects of their origins. Blending cultural influences with traditional foods gives rise to new cuisines with familiar and exotic elements. In this study, we aimed to seek influence from other fish-centric cultures to develop dishes that blended local fish with international flavors.</div><div>In Sub-study I, the pleasantness and familiarity of commercial fish products were compared with developed prototypes in a consumer sensory evaluation (<em>n</em> = 100). In Sub-study II, one of the prototypes was used as an ingredient in developing new dishes with elements from Basque, Spanish, Catalan, Italian, and Mexican food cultures, with a traditional Finnish ingredient. A twice repeated consumer sensory evaluation (<em>n</em> = 93) of the new dishes was conducted in a multisensory dining context.</div><div>The Sub-study I showed that pleasantness of some of the fish products increased with increasing familiarity. This was seen especially in the case of commercial and prototype pickled Baltic herring; their pleasantness was higher among the frequent users of traditional pickled fish. In Sub-study II of the new dishes Nachos had the highest overall liking in the first and second sensory evaluation (mean scores 6.38 and 6.42 out of 7, respectively). It was also found that in the case of new products, consumers relied on appearance and impression, whereas with familiar products, choice was based rather on sensory perception. Moreover, we were able to develop liked products by combining a traditional but nowadays less popular ingredient with elements from global food cultures.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":322,"journal":{"name":"Food Quality and Preference","volume":"133 ","pages":"Article 105631"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144563457","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":"Good for the environment and safer? Food safety halo effect of eco-labels","authors":"Kar Ho Lim ,&nbsp;Renu Ojha ,&nbsp;Rodolfo M. Nayga","doi":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105629","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105629","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Eco-labels signal environmentally conscious processes, facilitating a market-based solution to promote sustainability for food production. However, overshadowed by environmental preference, consumers may misperceive the labels as markers of safer food. The halo effect may cause a loss of consumer welfare and inefficient resource allocation. Our study shows that many consumers perceive Marine Stewardship Council and Sustainably Sourced as indicators of safer products. The food safety perception is likely more intense in pro-environment consumers—a sign of a halo effect. The halo effect leads to a higher willingness to pay. For many, perceived food safety quality outweighs environmental attitudes in the preference for the eco-labels. Consumers may be paying for food safety quality that has been misattributed to eco-labels.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":322,"journal":{"name":"Food Quality and Preference","volume":"133 ","pages":"Article 105629"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144556869","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":"Ecological harshness cues modulate food preferences and visual attention: An eye-tracking study","authors":"Ray Garza,&nbsp;Dariela Galindo,&nbsp;Karla P. Garcia,&nbsp;Tiffany Gutierrez","doi":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105632","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105632","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Food scarcity in an ancestral environment has led to an evolved psychology that shapes our decision making in eating. To buffer against times of uncertainty and food shortages, humans have a predisposition to prefer foods that are energy dense, and this may be explained by cognitive mechanisms that drive our search and preferences for foods. In the current study, the role of ecological harshness cues (e.g., safety, resource scarcity, violence) and anticipated food scarcity in desirability and visual attention to high vs. low-caloric food items. Participants (<em>N</em> = 142) were randomly assigned to an ecological scenario prime, and they were asked to view images of foods while their eye-movements were being tracked using an eye-tracker, followed by a desirability task. The findings showed that high-caloric foods were rated more desirable, and individuals were faster at recognizing high-caloric foods and directed their visual attention to them longer. More importantly, anticipated scarcity and ecological harshness cues were associated with desirability and visual attention, particularly for the resource scarce condition. In a resource scarce condition, participants with higher levels of anticipated food scarcity were more likely to view high-caloric foods longer and make more frequent visits to those images. The findings demonstrate that ecological harshness cues may prompt individuals to pay more attention to foods that are higher in energy content.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":322,"journal":{"name":"Food Quality and Preference","volume":"133 ","pages":"Article 105632"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144556870","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}