While you may not have thought it, sensory evaluation and sustainability are actually interconnected aspects of product development that contribute to a product’s overall success and environmental impact.
The connection between sensory evaluation and sustainability lies in consumer acceptance, preference, and perception of sustainable products, which all combine to significantly influence their adoption rate and market success.
With that in mind, let’s explore this connection in a little more detail.
Sensory Evaluation Helps Reduce Waste and Improve Resource Consumption
Sensory evaluation can aid in reducing food waste and resource consumption by ensuring that sustainable products have desirable sensory attributes.
By identifying and addressing sensory issues, companies can minimise waste resulting from customer returns or disposal due to poor sensory quality.
Sensory evaluation also helps companies make data-driven decisions on product formulation and packaging, ultimately leading to more sustainable products with reduced consumption of resources during research and development.
Sensory Evaluation Can Help Promote Sustainable Alternatives
Sensory evaluation can help develop and refine alternative, more sustainable ingredients or materials that have a lower environmental impact.
Companies can drive consumer adoption of sustainable products by ensuring these alternatives are as appealing, if not more so, than traditional options.
For example, sensory evaluation can help manufacturers to perfect the taste and texture of plant-based protein sources, encouraging more consumers to switch from resource-intensive animal-based proteins to eco-conscious alternatives.
It Provides a Chance to Educate Customers on the Sensory Attributes of Eco-Friendly Products and Ingredients
Sensory evaluation not only contributes to reductions in resource consumption in product development, but it can also serve as a valuable tool in raising consumer awareness about the benefits of sustainable products.
By emphasising the sensory attributes of eco-friendly ingredients, consumers can better appreciate their advantages, leading to increased understanding and acceptance.
Companies can incorporate data and insights gained from their sensory evaluation research into their marketing materials to help shift consumer perceptions and present sustainable products as not only eco-friendly but also enjoyable and satisfying.
Enhances Consumer Acceptance and Preference
Sensory evaluation helps determine the sensory attributes of a product, such as its taste, smell, texture, and appearance, which are all vital to consumer acceptance and preference.
To be successful, sustainable products must not only fulfil their environmental and social responsibilities but also meet or exceed consumer expectations regarding sensory attributes.
By incorporating sensory evaluation techniques, companies can optimise sustainable products to ensure they still appeal to consumers on a sensory basis, helping them maintain market share while reducing environmental impact.
Develop Products with Mass Customer Acceptance and Sustainable Credentials
With more than half of UK consumers admitting they want to change their diets to make them more environmentally friendly, the challenge for the food industry is to develop products that meet both consumer expectations and environmental concerns.
By investing in sensory evaluation services, your brand can optimise your products to make them more sustainable and environmentally friendly while ensuring they retain or even enhance their appeal to consumers.
If you would like to learn more about our sensory evaluation services and how they can help your brand, please don’t hesitate to contact a Wirral Sensory Services team member on +44 (0)151 346 2999 or via email at info@wssintl.com.
