But understanding what pushes consumers’ buttons when it comes to food will be growing faster in coming years as Massey University gets its state-of-the-art consumer and sensory science facility off the ground. Richard Rennie spoke to the Fonterra Riddet Chair, Professor Joanne Hort, Massey’s maven of “snap, crackle, pop” and everything else that influences food choices.
Massey University is setting itself up to be the sensory hub for food marketing and consumer behaviour by investing in a $2.2 million sensory laboratory with the latest in consumer behaviour technology and research.
Professor Joanne Hort heads the unit, bringing with her 15 years of experience from Nottingham University where she established a similar unit that builds on a growing food research presence in Palmerston North that includes FoodHQ, Fonterra, AgResearch and Plant and Food Research.
Food producers face a dual challenge, she said.
On one level it is to develop the technology to grow sufficient food to feed an extra two billion people by 2050.
“But there is also a challenge now in those markets where there is sufficient food. With an element of choice, the sensory characteristics of the product sit strong alongside the product’s brand image.”
That will become even more pronounced for New Zealand as the primary sector hits peak protein potential and moves even further away from quantity into quality and value-added products.
“Today there is a lot of quality produce out there. Regardless of where it is coming from the standards are now higher.
“An understanding of sensory connections to food is critical.”
They are so strong they do not even always mean the consumer likes the product, at least initially.
She cited Red Bull’s ability to convince people its unique and not always popular taste gives them wings.”
“Consumers really learnt to like the taste of something they came to associate with a good image, something that was good to be seen consuming.”
Hort believes NZ has managed to achieve sensory-marketing success in dairy markets in Asia, where the taste profile of products fits well with the clean, free-range image consumers have of dairy herds here.
There is similar success in Asia with apples and Zespri is doing well with Gold kiwifruit.
She believes the centre’s time has come in an industry working hard to increase value while sensory pulls make food marketing a more complex, psychological game that it was even 10 years ago.
In addition, NZ products are competing on ever-crowded shelves against some sophisticated and well-funded competitors.
“We can also evaluate perception and how packaging and labelling influence people’s decisions.”
The sensory facility will include full immersion settings, including virtual reality technology to test consumers’ responses to foods in different social and dining settings.
A room surrounded by screens can be changed from the local pub to a lounge, a cafe or a work lunch room to test responses not only at a sensory level but also on an emotional level.
Hort’s work in Nottingham has included trying to more deeply understand human responses to different characteristics of food, for example carbonation in soft drinks.
What she has found, and hopes to expand on with future work, is different people respond differently to such characteristics.
“Some people’s brains respond substantially to carbonation and we looked at differences in genetics and physiology as the causes.
“The result is some people are predisposed to enjoy such products more, impacting on their food choice behaviour.”
Better understanding of these deeper motivations can also play into key policy areas such as imposing taxes on sugary drinks, as has just happened in the United Kingdom.
With a laboratory that will be available to researchers and food companies Hort is confident there will be no shortage of demand for its capabilities, with plenty of opportunity to contract student research groups to do some of the work.
“This is the right time to do it and it should be the best in the Southern Hemisphere once it is all commissioned.”
