Summary report on sensory-related socio-economic and sensory science literature about organic food products

Organic food’s initial attraction to the public was that it was perceived to be healthier and tastier, but scientists and policy makers have mainly stressed the benefits to the environment of organic and sustainable farming. Scientific support for marketing actions addressed to those who want to be healthier and who want to enjoy better taste, and are willing to pay more for these benefits is scarce. Past research has produced little clear evidence about the importance of sensory characteristics such as taste, smell, appearance etc in consumers’ preferences with regard to organic food. The Ecropolis project, funded by the E.U., was set up with the aim of investigating the role of the senses in consumers’ preferences regarding organic food, and leading to research into how best to satisfy those preferences. This deliverable is aimed at providing a solid basis for such research with an in-depth review of, and two reports on, the relevant scientific literature. The first report (Annex I) regards what consumers expect from organic products in terms of taste, smell, appearance, etc and how these expectations are (or are not) met; the second is about the science of the senses (Annex II). The first project tasks included creating and agreeing on a glossary of terms, deciding on search criteria (key words, etc.), setting up a bibliographical data base, preparing then circulating the above-mentioned reports, and finally preparing a summary of the reports. The report on consumers expectations highlights the suggestion that while organic food has traditionally been marketed through specialized retailers, its market share will only grow significantly if it is promoted by multiple retailers. Research literature from all over the world seems to agree in indicating that consumers’ choices are largely motivated by health, the environment, price and social status. Other considerations include ethics, the localness of the product and lifestyle choices. The literature also indicates that the organic market will expand significantly only if consumers are more willing, and able, to recognize quality, but this presents serious issues. When buying the product they cannot personally verify its quality and genuineness and thus must rely on regulation and inspection bodies. The recognition of quality can also be encouraged by effective communication by producers and retailers through appropriate branding, labelling and presentation. There are connections between this information and questions of sense perception, but researchers disagree about how important the latter is in influencing the customer, and in which ways it does so. The following report focuses, in fact, on the science of the senses, which tries to analyze in detail people’s responses to food, despite the many potential pitfalls in carrying out the research which might influence the reliability of the results. There is broad agreement on two points: - there is no proof that organic food is more nutritious or safer, and - most studies that have compared the taste and organoleptic quality of organic andconventional foods report no consistent or significant differences between organic and conventional produce. Therefore, claiming that all organic food tastes different from all conventional food would not be correct. However, among the well-designed studies with respect to fruits and vegetables that have found differences, the vast majority favour organic produce. Organic produce tends to store better and has longer shelf life, probably because of lower levels of nitrates and higher average levels of antioxidants. The former can accelerate food spoilage, while antioxidants help preserve the integrity of cells and some are natural antibiotics. The first conclusion may, however, depend on factors not directly connected to organic farming, such as harvesting and storage methods and the type of land used for growing the food. About the second finding it must be considered that measuring organoleptic quality is difficult and inherently subjective and evaluations may be clouded by the influence of numerous factors on the consumer’s perceptions of the food and not just its appearance and taste. Experimental research indicates that the information that a food is organic confers upon it a “halo effect” (making it seem better sense-wise simply because it is organic) which might make consumers like it more. Ecropolis researchers will analyze in detail which senses are indeed impacted on, and how, and try to match them to consumer needs and expectations in order to be able to offer suggestions for future policy, including how the food is stored, transported and presented, which is also essential for maintaining sensory properties. The workpackage WP1 has also produced a specific report on how organic food sensory aspects are regulated. International standards, with some important exceptions, are largely in line with European ones. Differences in standards usually regard whether there is orientation towards freshness “per se” as opposed to increasing shelf-life, or quality standardization as opposed to quality differentiation. Differences in regulations regard such aspects as ingredients, additives, processing aids and methods, packaging, storage and transport. The lack of harmony among the different regulatory systems often reflects different traditions and market conditions, however, more complicated compliance procedures result in higher costs for importers. Greater homogeneity would not only reduce such costs but would also increase consumer confidence in international standards. Ecropolis will also investigate the effect of different regulations on how people perceive organic goods sense-wise. The work done to date is seen as a starting point for future research aimed at producing practical results in the organic food market. Ecropolis will try to bring together separate strands of research concerning how organic goods are regulated and marketed with regard to taste, appearance, etc., and how consumers themselves are affected by such factors. The aim is to find optimal matches between the two, and thus to greatly increase organic food’s share of the food market

A Qualitative Analysis of Sensory Experiences and Expectations in the European Organic Market: Findings from Italian and German Consumers

The organic food market grew steadily during the past decade (Hamm and Gronefeld 2004, Spiller 2006). This increase is accompanied by challenges in market structures, distribution channels as well as differentiation of expectations and buying motives of organic food consumers. On this regard, the “hedonistic” motives for purchasing of organic food, that also include sensory features like taste or appearance, gained importance in comparison to other motivations. Therefore, some scientists pointed out that sensory attributes are important elements that should be taken into account in the marketing strategies by organic food distributors (Brennan and Kuri 2002, Padel and Midmore 2005) than even before. The objective of this paper is to explore sensory experiences, expectations and perceptions of Italian and German organic consumers underlining differences between the two countries when purchasing and eating organic food. Ten focus group interviews composed by 6-10 consumers were performed during 2009 in different locations in Italy and Germany. The focus groups content was transcribed and then analyzed using qualitative content analysis.Results indicated that, although sensory attributes are not the main purchase driver, taste and, especially for Italy, odour are the most important sensory features taken into account by organic consumers especially for the first purchase. However, it seems that the ability to differentiate between various categories of sensory perception is characterized by a low level of development which may limit the set of possibilities when trying to reach consumers by affecting their senses. Furthermore, consumers were able to mention several aspects such as intensity, naturalness and authenticity that they consider to be important when it comes to the sensory properties of organic products. Other findings suggests that sensory perception is a learnable ability which offers an opportunity for the actors of the organic food market to bring their customers closer to their products by a corresponding training of consumers’ sensory abilities.Regarding the concept of standardisation consumers pointed out that sensory properties should not be standardized, especially for heavy users. In both countries, one part of the organic consumers seem to appreciate sensory marketing activities whereas another part apparently does not. For Italian consumers who appreciate sensory marketing, non-subjective as well as subjective marketing information is considered to be suitable, whereas in Germany non-subjective aspects seem to be predominant. Further research may be useful in order to detect the right marketing tools that are able to support a sensory-based strategy of product presentation and positioning

Organic taste of yoghurt : Sensory insights out of the EC-project ECROPOLIS

Distributors and promoters of organic food claim superior tastes for their products compared to the conventional alternative. This argument however is still subject to a hard debate and thus deserves more scientific evidence. Since repurchases are dependent on the overall liking of a product and sensory experiences may have an important impact, knowledge about these dimensions is crucial for producers and marketers of organic food to offer products which meet consumer expectations. Besides other important aspects, sensory properties as well as consumer acceptance of six different product groups (dairy-, meat-, bakery- and tomato-products, vegetable oil and apples) were analysed in detail within the EU funded project ECROPOLIS (www.ecropolis.eu) in six European countries (France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Switzerland, The Netherlands). In order to explain how the scientific approach of the project helps to explore product insights, dairy products represented by “natural (plain) full cram yoghurts” were chosen as an example. On the one side results of the detailed analysis are capable to show relevant information concerning sensory product properties (sensory profiles) of plain yoghurts as well as the influence of these aspects on the product popularity by the consumer (acceptance and preference mapping). Additionally results show how the regulatory framework respectively the requirements for plain yoghurts produced under organic regulation influences the sensory appearance of the products. And results show as well the product improvement potential of organically produced plain yogurts. Some consolidated key-insights from the results out of six European countries: Sensory differences between organic and conventional products depend more on production technology (stirred or semisolid) and regulatory framework (application of milk powder, homogenisation of milk) than on the organic or conventional origin of raw material. For example semi-solid yoghurts in some countries are less accepted and yoghurts that additionally are produced without application of milk powder all show a certain sedimentation of whey and are even less accepted. Disregarding the aspect of “organic” and “conventional”, the acceptance towards plain yoghurt seems to be more or less dependent on certain sensory attributes as there are especially creaminess, smoothness (both texture) and a moderate and balanced sourness (taste). And the presence of liquid on the surface is often not liked. Consumers respond differently in the six European countries concerning the labelling (halo) effect of organic and conventional, meaning that consumer from some countries (e.g. Germany, …) are more influenced by the declaration of “organic” and “conventional” when tasting the products than others (e.g. Switzerland). German consumerses assumes better sensory quality in “healty, fair-traide etc. products

PREMIUMHANDELSMARKEN IM LEBENSMITTELEINZELHANDEL - EINE IMAGEANALYSE AM BEISPIEL VON REWE FEINE WELT

Aktuellen Beobachtungen im deutschen Lebensmitteleinzelhandel (LEH) zufolge treten die Handelsunternehmen mit der Einführung von Premiumhandelsmarken bzw. Genusshandels-marken (als sehr jungen Premiumhandelsmarkentyp) in direkte Konkurrenz zu entsprechen-den Herstellermarken und stellen Themen wie Qualität und Zusatznutzen in den Vordergrund. Der Schwerpunkt dieser Arbeit liegt zum einen in der thematischen Auseinandersetzung mit dem Begriff der „Premiumhandelsmarke“ sowie speziell der „Genusshandelsmarke“ und ihren Besonderheiten in der Praxis. Die Handelsmarke „REWE Feine Welt“ (RFW) wird aufgrund ihrer herausragenden Imagepolitik in diesem Rahmen repräsentativ für Premiumhandelsmarken ausgewählt. Zum anderen wird im Rahmen der Imageanalyse der Frage nachgegangen, ob die Marke RFW anhand operationalisierter Premiumimage-Komponenten im Vergleich zu einer starken Herstellermarke (MÖVENPICK) wahrgenommen und damit dem Premiumanspruch gerecht wird. Abschließend werden aus den Ergebnissen der Befragung und den Praxisbeobachtungen Handlungsempfehlungen für RFW abgeleitet

PREMIUMHANDELSMARKEN IM LEBENSMITTELEINZELHANDEL - EINE IMAGEANALYSE AM BEISPIEL VON REWE FEINE WELT

Aktuellen Beobachtungen im deutschen Lebensmitteleinzelhandel (LEH) zufolge treten die Handelsunternehmen mit der Einführung von Premiumhandelsmarken bzw. Genusshandels-marken (als sehr jungen Premiumhandelsmarkentyp) in direkte Konkurrenz zu entsprechen-den Herstellermarken und stellen Themen wie Qualität und Zusatznutzen in den Vordergrund. Der Schwerpunkt dieser Arbeit liegt zum einen in der thematischen Auseinandersetzung mit dem Begriff der „Premiumhandelsmarke“ sowie speziell der „Genusshandelsmarke“ und ihren Besonderheiten in der Praxis. Die Handelsmarke „REWE Feine Welt“ (RFW) wird aufgrund ihrer herausragenden Imagepolitik in diesem Rahmen repräsentativ für Premiumhandelsmarken ausgewählt. Zum anderen wird im Rahmen der Imageanalyse der Frage nachgegangen, ob die Marke RFW anhand operationalisierter Premiumimage-Komponenten im Vergleich zu einer starken Herstellermarke (MÖVENPICK) wahrgenommen und damit dem Premiumanspruch gerecht wird. Abschließend werden aus den Ergebnissen der Befragung und den Praxisbeobachtungen Handlungsempfehlungen für RFW abgeleitet.Lebensmitteleinzelhandel, Deutschland, Premiumhandelsmarke, Genusshandelsmarke, Imageanalyse, Agribusiness, Agricultural and Food Policy, Agricultural Finance, Farm Management, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Food Security and Poverty, Industrial Organization,

MARKETING SENSORIAL: EVIDÊNCIAS DE UMA ANÁLISE DE GRUPOS DOS CONSUMIDORES ALEMÃES

http://dx.doi.org/10.5902/223611708811In the consumer behaviour literature regarding food consumption the food-related lifestyle (FRL) approach conceived by Grunert et al. (1993) is a well-established tool to target groups based onlifestyle and dietary habits. On the contrary, studies attempting to identify consumer groups according to their sensory preferences are rather scarce. In this article, we present an approach that combines elements of the FRL approach with variables of sensory perception of food. The findings show that it is meaningful to build a consumer typology based on both food-related lifestyle variables and sensory preferences. The six clusters resulting from this study differ significantly from each other so that managerial recommendations are derived.http://dx.doi.org/10.5902/223611708811 Na literatura o comportamento do consumidor em relação ao consumo de alimentos a comida relacionado ao estilo de vida (FRL),abordagem concebida por Grunertetal (1993), é uma ferramenta bem estabelecida para grupos-alvo baseados no estilo de vida e hábitos alimentares. Pelo contrário, os estudos que tentam identificar os grupos de consumidores de acordo comas suas preferências sensoriais são bastante escassos. Neste artigo, apresentamos uma abordagem que combina elementos da abordagem FRL com variáveis de percepção sensorial de alimentos. Os resultados mostram que é significativo para a construção de uma tipologia do consumidor com base em ambas as variáveis relacionadas com os alimentos de estilo de vida e preferências sensoriais. Os seis grupos resultantes deste estudo diferem significativamente um do outro, de modo que as recomendações são derivadas de gestão

A Qualitative Analysis of Sensory Experiences and Expectations in the European Organic Market: Findings from Italian and German Consumers

The organic food market grew steadily during the past decade (Hamm and Gronefeld 2004, Spiller 2006). This increase is accompanied by challenges in market structures, distribution channels as well as differentiation of expectations and buying motives of organic food consumers. On this regard, the “hedonistic” motives for purchasing of organic food, that also include sensory features like taste or appearance, gained importance in comparison to other motivations. Therefore, some scientists pointed out that sensory attributes are important elements that should be taken into account in the marketing strategies by organic food distributors (Brennan and Kuri 2002, Padel and Midmore 2005) than even before. The objective of this paper is to explore sensory experiences, expectations and perceptions of Italian and German organic consumers underlining differences between the two countries when purchasing and eating organic food. Ten focus group interviews composed by 6-10 consumers were performed during 2009 in different locations in Italy and Germany. The focus groups content was transcribed and then analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Results indicated that, although sensory attributes are not the main purchase driver, taste and, especially for Italy, odour are the most important sensory features taken into account by organic consumers especially for the first purchase. However, it seems that the ability to differentiate between various categories of sensory perception is characterized by a low level of development which may limit the set of possibilities when trying to reach consumers by affecting their senses. Furthermore, consumers were able to mention several aspects such as intensity, naturalness and authenticity that they consider to be important when it comes to the sensory properties of organic products. Other findings suggests that sensory perception is a learnable ability which offers an opportunity for the actors of the organic food market to bring their customers closer to their products by a corresponding training of consumers’ sensory abilities. Regarding the concept of standardisation consumers pointed out that sensory properties should not be standardized, especially for heavy users. In both countries, one part of the organic consumers seem to appreciate sensory marketing activities whereas another part apparently does not. For Italian consumers who appreciate sensory marketing, non-subjective as well as subjective marketing information is considered to be suitable, whereas in Germany non-subjective aspects seem to be predominant. Further research may be useful in order to detect the right marketing tools that are able to support a sensory-based strategy of product presentation and positioning

Sensory experiences and expectations of Italian and German organic consumers

We explore sensory experiences and expectations of Italian and German organic consumers when purchasing and eating organic food. Ten focus group interviews were performed and the results were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Outcomes indicated that although sensory attributes are not the main purchase drivers, flavor and odor are the most important in driving consumers' choice. Findings also suggested that training consumers' sensory abilities offers new market opportunities to organic marketers. From a marketing perspective, Italian consumers seem to equally appreciate nonsubjective as well as subjective marketing information about organic products, whereas in Germany non subjective aspects appear to be predominant

"Ecropolis\u201d organic taste of yoghurt - sensory insights out of the EC-project \u201cECROPOLIS\u201d"

Distributors and promoters of organic food claim superior tastes for their products compared to the conventional alternative. This argument however is still subject to a hard debate and thus deserves more scientific evidence. Since repurchases are dependent on the overall liking of a product and sensory experiences may have an important impact, knowledge about these dimensions is crucial for producers and marketers of organic food to offer products which meet consumer expectations. Besides other important aspects, sensory properties as well as consumer acceptance of six different product groups (dairy-, meat-, bakery- and tomato-products, vegetable oil and apples) were analysed in detail within the EU funded project ECROPOLIS (www.ecropolis.eu) in six European countries (France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Switzerland, The Netherlands). In order to explain how the scientific approach of the project helps to explore product insights, dairy products represented by \u201cnatural (plain) full cram yoghurts\u201d were chosen as an example. On the one side results of the detailed analysis are capable to show relevant information concerning sensory product properties (sensory profiles) of plain yoghurts as well as the influence of these aspects on the product popularity by the consumer (acceptance and preference mapping). Additionally results show how the regulatory framework respectively the requirements for plain yoghurts produced under organic regulation influences the sensory appearance of the products. And results show as well the product improvement potential of organically produced plain yogurts. Some consolidated key-insights from the results out of six European countries: Sensory differences between organic and conventional products depend more on production technology (stirred or semisolid) and regulatory framework (application of milk powder, homogenisation of milk) than on the organic or conventional origin of raw material. For example semi-solid yoghurts in some countries are less accepted and yoghurts that additionally are produced without application of milk powder all show a certain sedimentation of whey and are even less accepted. Disregarding the aspect of \u201corganic\u201d and \u201cconventional\u201d, the acceptance towards plain yoghurt seems to be more or less dependent on certain sensory attributes as there are especially creaminess, smoothness (both texture) and a moderate and balanced sourness (taste). And the presence of liquid on the surface is often not liked. Consumers respond differently in the six European countries concerning the labelling (halo) effect of organic and conventional, meaning that consumer from some countries (e.g. Germany, \u2026) are more influenced by the declaration of \u201corganic\u201d and \u201cconventional\u201d when tasting the products than others (e.g. Switzerland). German consumerses assumes better sensory quality in \u201chealty, fair-traide etc. products