{"id":33295,"date":"2018-10-10T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2018-10-09T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.farmersweekly.co.nz\/lab-much-more-than-a-taste-test\/"},"modified":"2018-10-10T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2018-10-09T11:00:00","slug":"lab-much-more-than-a-taste-test","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.farmersweekly.co.nz\/news\/lab-much-more-than-a-taste-test\/","title":{"rendered":"Lab much more than a taste test"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading Time: <\/span> 3<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>

But understanding what pushes consumers\u2019 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<\/strong> spoke to the Fonterra Riddet Chair, Professor Joanne Hort, Massey\u2019s maven of \u201csnap, crackle, pop\u201d and everything else that influences food choices.<\/p>\n

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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Food producers face a dual challenge, she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

On one level it is to develop the technology to grow sufficient food to feed an extra two billion people by 2050.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut 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\u2019s brand image.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday there is a lot of quality produce out there. Regardless of where it is coming from the standards are now higher.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAn understanding of sensory connections to food is critical.\u201d<\/p>\n

They are so strong they do not even always mean the consumer likes the product, at least initially.<\/p>\n

She cited Red Bull\u2019s ability to convince people its unique and not always popular taste gives them wings.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cConsumers really learnt to like the taste of something they came to associate with a good image, something that was good to be seen consuming.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

There is similar success in Asia with apples and Zespri is doing well with Gold kiwifruit.<\/p>\n

She believes the centre\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

In addition, NZ products are competing on ever-crowded shelves against some sophisticated and well-funded competitors.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can also evaluate perception and how packaging and labelling influence people\u2019s decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n

The sensory facility will include full immersion settings, including virtual reality technology to test consumers\u2019 responses to foods in different social and dining settings.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Hort\u2019s work in Nottingham has included trying to more deeply understand human responses to different characteristics of food, for example carbonation in soft drinks.<\/p>\n

What she has found, and hopes to expand on with future work, is different people respond differently to such characteristics.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome people\u2019s brains respond substantially to carbonation and we looked at differences in genetics and physiology as the causes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe result is some people are predisposed to enjoy such products more, impacting on their food choice behaviour.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the right time to do it and it should be the best in the Southern Hemisphere once it is all commissioned.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The iconic snap, crackle and pop sound of iconic breakfast cereal Rice Bubbles is an oldie but a goody in advertising lexicon when tapping into senses beyond taste for a food product.\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":33296,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_FSMCFIC_featured_image_caption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_nocaption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_hide":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t