Impact of reducing fat, salt and sugar in commercial foods on consumer acceptability and willingness to pay in real tasting conditions: A home experiment

Abstract

International audienceDecreasing obesity or cardiovascular disease can be achieved by eating healthier foods with reduced contents of fat, salt and sugar. However, these ingredients have a significant impact on the sensory quality of the food products that contain these ingredients, especially cooked sausage, chorizo, dry sausage, cheese and muffins. In this study, consumer appreciation of these five commercialized products (non reformulated versions) and their respective reformulated versions with reduced contents of salt, fat and sugar was tested. An original home experiment was performed to assess consumer appreciation in natural consumption conditions. The experiment was divided into two steps that correspond to a pleasantness rating and a willingness to pay task. The two measurements were expected to yield comparable results with two aspects of consumer appreciation. Non-reformulated and reformulated versions were compared with a store brand and a trademark in a ranking task to evaluate their pleasantness positioning on the market. This latter experiment, which was conducted in a laboratory, enabled the validation of the home experiment. The results indicated that the cooked sausage reformulation did not maintain consumer appreciation and reduced its positioning on the market. For cheese and muffins, the reformulation did not affect the product pleasantness. The reformulation of dry sausage and chorizo not only maintained consumer appreciation but also increased pleasantness, which was consistent with a higher reservation price of approximately 12% compared to the other samples. For most products in this experiment, new technologies contributed to significant reduction in fat, salt or sugar whilst maintaining consumer appreciation

Relationship between sensory liking for fat, sweet or salt and cardiometabolic diseases: mediating effects of diet and weight status

“…For instance, sensory education measures tailored to individual liking could provoke a shift in liking toward more complex foods in persons who strongly favor fatty foods, thereby leading to reduced acceptance of fattysalted or fatty-sweetened foods and greater dietary variety [52]. Indeed, previous works demonstrated that the preferred amounts of fat, salt and sugar in foods have an innate basis that can be changed by modifying the frequency of sensory exposure to the fatty, salty and sweet tastes [53][54][55]. An effort can also be done at the environmental level, via improvement in the food product supply available, such as products with reduced content of saturated and trans fats, sodium or sweet, that are tasty and offer satisfaction to the consumer.…”

Consumer acceptance of innovations in food: A survey among Polish consumers

“…When it comes to a lower level of salt, consumers do not prefer too low a level of this ingredient, although the health effect of food is appreciated by them (Rødbotten et al, ; Żakowska‐Biemans, Sajdakowska, & Issanchou, ). However, reformulations, for example, reducing fat, salt, and sugar content, may enable improvements in the product competitiveness on the food market (Romagny, Ginon, & Salles, ).…”

“…This is probably due to the socio-demographic characteristics of this group of consumers. (Romagny, Ginon, & Salles, 2017).…”

Tailoring Properties of Mixed-Component Oleogels: Wax and Monoglyceride Interactions Towards Flaxseed Oil Structuring

“…Solid fats are commonly used in processed foods to confer technological and sensory properties desired by the consumer [1]. However, trans, saturated, and recently interesterified fats have been associated with negative health related effects, such as increasing the risk of obesity, diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases [2,3].…”