This book explores the main methods, models, and approaches of food consumer science applied to six countries of the Western Balkans, illustrating each of these methods with concrete case studies. Research conducted between 2008 and 2011 in the course of the FOCUS-BALKANS project forms an excellent database for exploring recent changes and trends in food consumption.

Consumer Science and Strategic Marketing: Case Studies in the Traditional Food Sector aims to close the gap between academic researchers and industry professionals through real world scenarios and field-based research. The book explores how consumer and sensory science has been implemented in the food industry for achieving the following strategic aims: rejuvenating product image, shaping new market places, achieving market differentiation and geographical diffusion, achieving customer loyalty, promoting traditional features of the product and defining product positioning in competitive environment. There is an emerging demand from food industry professionals and undergraduate and postgraduate students who attend business and agricultural studies courses who want to gain practical information through real cases and field-based research. This book aims to answer the following questions, amongst others: How research in the field of consumer science became relevant for marketing strategies?, Which tangible economic and financial outcomes have been obtained by the joint work of sensory scientists, researchers in marketing field and food business professionals?, and which communication methods and practices have been relevant to make the most of R&D in the food industry? Through case studies, successful examples and practices are provided, with newer inputs for further theoretical investigation given. Both current and future professionals in the food industry will gain insights that can be used in their business environment. - Bridges the gap between scholars and practitioners in understanding consumers in the traditional food sector - Allows scientists and professionals to make the most of R&D outcomes - Advances consumer science research to address business problems in the food industry

As we move further into the 21st Century, sensory and consumer studies continue to develop, playing an important role in food science and industry. These studies are crucial for understanding the relation between food properties on one side and human liking and buying behaviour on the other. This book by a group of established scientists gives a comprehensive, up-to-date overview of the most common statistical methods for handling data from both trained sensory panels and consumer studies of food. It presents the topic in two distinct sections: problem-orientated (Part I) and method orientated (Part II), making it to appropriate for people at different levels with respect to their statistical skills. This book succesfully: Makes a clear distinction between studies using a trained sensory panel and studies using consumers. Concentrates on experimental studies with focus on how sensory assessors or consumers perceive and assess various product properties. Focuses on relationships between methods and techniques and on considering all of them as special cases of more general statistical methodologies It is assumed that the reader has a basic knowledge of statistics and the most important data collection methods within sensory and consumer science. This text is aimed at food scientists and food engineers working in research and industry, as well as food science students at master and PhD level. In addition, applied statisticians with special interest in food science will also find relevant information within the book.

Consumer acceptance is the key to successful food products. It is vital, therefore, that product development strategies are consumer-led for food products to be well received. Consumer-led food product development presents an up-to-date review of the latest scientific research and methods in this important area.Part one gives the reader a general introduction to factors affecting consumer food choice. Chapters explore issues such as sensory perception, culture, ethics, attitudes towards innovation and psychobiological mechanisms. Part two analyses methods to understand consumers' food-related attitudes and how these methods can be effectively used, covering techniques such as means-end chains and the food-related lifestyle approach. The final part of the book addresses a wide variety of methods used for consumer-led product development. Opportunity identification, concept development, difference testing and preference trials are discussed, as well as the use of techniques such as just-about-right scales and partial least squares methods.Written by an array of international experts, Consumer-led food product development is an essential reference for product developers in the food industry. - Introduces the factors affecting consumer food choice - Explores issues such as sensory perception, culture and ethics - Analyses methods to understand food related attitudes

Statistical Methods in Food and Consumer Research, Second Edition, continues to be the only book to focus solely on the statistical techniques used in sensory testing of foods, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and other consumer products. This new edition includes the most recent applications of statistical methods, and features significant updates as well as two new chapters. Covering the application of techniques including R-index, the Bayesian approach for sensory differences tests, and preference mapping in addition to several other methodologies, this is the comprehensive reference needed by those studying sensory evaluation and applied statistics in agriculture and biological sciences. Research professionals working with food, beverages, healthcare, cosmetics, and other related areas will find the book a valuable guide to the variety of statistical methods available. - Provides comprehensive coverage of statistical techniques in sensory testing - Includes data compiled from real-world experiments - Covers the latest in data interpretation and analysis - Addresses key methods such as R-index, Thursonian Discriminal Distances, group sequential tests, beta-binomial tests, sensory difference and similarity tests, just-about-right data, signal-to-noise ratio, analysis of cosmetic data, Descriptive Analysis, claims substantiation and preference mapping

Methods for Consumer Research, Volume One: New Approaches to Classic Methods brings together world leading experts in global consumer research who provide a fully comprehensive state-of-the-art coverage of advances in the classical methods of consumer science. The book touches on the latest developments in qualitative techniques, including coverage of both focus groups and social media, while also focusing on liking, a fundamental principle of consumer science, consumer segmentation, and the influence of extrinsic product characteristics, such as packaging and presentation on consumer liking. In conjunction with the second volume, which covers alternative approaches and special applications, this book is an invaluable reference for academics working in the fields of in-sensory and consumer science, psychology, marketing and nutrition. And, with examples of the methodology being applied throughout, it serves as a practical guide to research and development managers in both food and non-food companies. - Presents a fully comprehensive coverage of the latest developments in the classical methodologies of consumer research - Provides examples of successful application of the methodologies presented - Includes focus groups and social media discussions - Encompasses consumer segmentation, with a focus on psychographics and genetics

A unique insight into the decision-making and food consumption of the European consumer. The volume is essential reading for those involved in product development, market research and consumer science in food and agro industries and academic research. It brings together experts from different disciplines in order to address the fundamental issues related to predicting food choice, consumer behavior and societal trust in quality and safety regulatory systems. The importance of the social and psychological context and the cross-cultural differences and how they influence food choice are also covered in great detail.

Experts from around the world present changes in the global marketplace and developments in research methodologies underpinning new product development (NPD) in this essential collection. The business and marketing aspects of NPD, sometimes neglected in books of this type, are addressed alongside methods for product testing.Trends, processes and perspectives in consumer-driven NPD in the food and personal care product industries are addressed in the opening chapters of the book. Specific topics include evolution in food retailing and advances in concept research. Hedonic testing is the focus of the next section. Different viewpoints on consumer research methods and statistics for NPD are reviewed in later chapters. The final part of the book looks towards the future of innovation, covering the implications for NPD of topics such as human genetic variation in taste perception and neuroimaging.Several chapters are not standard scientific articles. Rather they are written records of conversations between two people on a particular topic related to consumer-driven innovation in foods and personal care products. In them the interviewees speak freely about their views and experiences in NPD, providing unique insights.Consumer-driven innovation in food and personal care products will broaden readers' understanding of the many approaches available to NPD personnel and ways in which they can be used to support innovation activities. - Provides expert insight into the changes in the global market place and developments in research methodologies underpinning NPD - Examines the business and marketing aspects of NPD, sometimes neglected in books of this type, are addressed alongside methods for product testing - Chapters review the different viewpoints on consumer research methods and statistics for NPD

Consumer markets for foods and beverages in developed countries are well supplied and highly fragmented. Yet, the question being asked is how close retailers actually come to fulfilling their customers' requirements. The concept of consumer value is one of the main pillars underpinning the theory of market differentiation. This book takes an interdisciplinary approach to the analysis of satisfaction in relation to the consumption of food, with both food science and consumer science playing central parts. It approaches food quality from both the technical and the consumer satisfaction perspectives, and assesses the roles of management and regulatory tools in delivering food quality for all. Each area is discussed in detail, using the appropriate technical terminology, but keeping the text accessible to readers from both academic traditions, as well as to non-specialist readers.