Consumer preferences and Product development

Product development is changing from technology driven into a market driven process, in which consumer wishes are getting more and more important. To produce successful new food products you have to know how to translate the consumer wishes into product specifications. Taking consumer wishes in consideration we notice that health is getting more and more important, that is why health is chosen as a decisive attribute.

The effective translation of health, as a qualitative consumer wish, into quantitative product characteris-tics.

Before we are able to make this translation food choice behaviour is studied in a social psychological perspec-tive. The main determinants of food choice behaviour are related to the individual, the environment, the product and the moment of consumption. Subsequently we have to get insight in consumers' perception of health, and how this perception is related to product characteristics as a result of the production chain. Therefore a research method will be developed.