Consumer Insights to Eco-Design a Hot Sauce: Understanding Household Use for Product Optimization through Focus Groups and a Home-Use-Test Study

Autor: Paula Torán-Pereg, Elena Romeo-Arroyo, Stéfani Novoa, Guillermo Pardo, Laura Vázquez-Araújo
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2024
Předmět:
Zdroj: Foods, Vol 13, Iss 6, p 945 (2024)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 13060945
2304-8158
DOI: 10.3390/foods13060945
Popis: Promoting sustainable choices requires making food with proper environmental performance readily available to consumers, but these products must be appealing to ensure market success. The aim of the present study was to investigate the acceptability and perception of an eco-designed product using a home-use-test approach to identify its desired extrinsic features and to better understand how consumers would use the product in a real consumption context. First, three focus groups were conducted to identify the key perceived aspects of the product. A consumer survey was designed with the information gathered from the focus groups, and a home-use-test was then performed (n = 207). Results showed high acceptance of the product, as well as its potential corrections, e.g., to thicken the texture of the sauce. A total of 64% of consumers expressed their willingness to switch from a well-known brand to the new developed product, and this hypothetical shift could lead up to a 58% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions associated with the product use. Understanding consumer expectations at every design stage helps the development of market-viable and sustainable products, and the present research proposes an interesting methodology that can be effectively applied during the final stages of eco-designed food development.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals