Consumer perception

Alternatively produced products have in common that their unique selling proposition is not directly visible to the consumer. Only additional information will identify the nature of the origin or the production process of these foods (Oude Ophuis, 1993). Within a sensory evaluation of free range pork under different conditions of experience and awareness, labelling and prior experience of the product have favourable influence on the sensory evaluation of free range pork for a number of attributes. The author assumes that contextual elements are very important in the sensory evaluation of fresh foods. 

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A different concept is the idea of manufacturing at point of use rather than transporting materials. A simple and familiar example is the office water cooler. The majority that you see around use large bottles of water. These need to be transported and stored and the empty bottles recycled. More than 600 kT of bottled water were imported into the UK in 1999, creating a significant transport impact. The alternative is to chill and filter mains water on-site. The water needs to be filtered and purified to meet consumer perceptions and expectations. These systems use a mixture of purification techniques including advanced filters, UV-disinfection and silver-treated surfaces to give users the confidence they require. 

Von Alvensleben R and Meier T (1990) The influence of origin and variety on consumer perception . Acta Horticulturae, 259, 151-161. 

Wier M, Anderson LM and Millock K (2005) Information provision, consumer perceptions and values - the case of organic foods , forthcoming in Russell C and Karup S, Environmental Information and Consumer Behaviour, New Horizons in Environmental Economics Series, Edward Elgar, Cheltenham, UK. 

Becker T, Benner E and Glitsch K (2000), Consumer perception of fresh meat quality in Germany , Brit Food J, 102, 246-266. 

Grunert K G, Bredahl L and Brunso K (2004), Consumer perception of meat quality and implications for product development in the meat sector - a review , Meat Sci, 66, 227-259. 

Ngapo T M, Dransfield E, Martin J F, Magnusson M, Bredahl L and Nute G R (2003), Consumer perceptions pork and pig production. Insights from France, England, Sweden and Denmark , Meat Sci, 66, 125-134. 

In making risk management decisions it is important to take into account nontechnical factors in addition to scientific and economic information. Recent crises in the food industry have indicated that consumers perceptions about risks are driven by factors that would not be considered in conventional risk assessments. Research has shown that factors such as whether sub-groups (particularly children) might be affected, whether the hazard is familiar, if there are effects on the environment or if risks and benefits are equitably shared can determine consumers reactions to an issue. 

Risk managers must be aware that in the event of a crisis consumers perceptions about risks can have as great or greater impact on the outcome than the real food safety issues. 

This chapter begins by discussing how consumer perceptions of risks associated with food additives compare to other food-related health risks. It then addresses the US government s system for monitoring adverse reactions from food additives. The bulk of the chapter focuses on additives that have been blamed for causing health problems and which have generated controversy in the US and other countries. Finally, there is a brief discussion of future trends and additional sources of information are provided. 

Verbeke, W., Vanhonacker, F., Frewer, L. J., Sioen, I., De Flenauw, S., and Van Camp, J. (2008). Communicating risks and benefits from fish consumption Impact on Belgian consumers perception and intention to eat fish. Risk Manage. 28, 951-967. 

In the area of risk communication, the regulatory agencies should continue to be flexible in the way information is presented to the public regarding drug residues. Continuing efforts are needed to combat false and misleading consumer perceptions of the hazards of drug residues in the tissues of food animals. 

Clearly, it may be possible to define and accurately measure many aspects of the mechanical and rheological properties of foods, but to try and relate these measures to consumer perceptions of the texture of the foods, is fraught with difficulties. Conversely, it is possible to train human subjects to assess textural characteristics of foods in defined and consistent ways (training them to mimic an instrumental response), however this may be missing the diversity of perceptions of food texture experienced by normal consumers. 

Jones 3rd W. J. and J. J. Francis. 2000. Softgels Consumer perceptions and market impact relative to other ora dosage formsAdvances in Therapy, 17(5) 213-221. 

Alvarado, C.Z., Wenger, E. and O Keefe, S.F. (2005) Consumer perceptions of meat quality and shelf-life in commercially raised broilers compared to organic free range... 

Another useful distinction made by service quality researchers is between technical quality and functional quality. Technical quality refers to customer perceptions about what is received from a service (e.g., Was the outcome of the service successful ), and functional quality refers to customer perceptions about how a service was performed (e.g., Did the service provider demonstrate concern and inspire confidence ) (Kotler, 2003). Perceptions of both functional and technical quality are important determinants of service quality, suggesting that service providers need to focus on being high touch as well as high tech. In pharmacy, there is some evidence that functional quality has a greater impact on consumer perceptions of service... 

Parasuraman A, Zeithaml VA, Berry LL. 1988. SERVQUAL A multiple-item scale for measuring consumer perceptions of service quality. ] Retail 64 12. 

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