Consumer perception of Cheddar cheese color.

The color of Cheddar cheese in the US is influenced by many factors, primarily the amount of annatto added as a colorant. The US FDA is currently reviewing its definition of the term "natural" on food labels, which may result in the use of colorants being restricted in natural cheeses. The objective of this study was to evaluate how consumers perceive Cheddar cheese color to better understand how changes to legislation surrounding colorants in natural Cheddar cheese may affect consumption. We were also interested in determining if a relationship exists between color and other perceived characteristics of Cheddar cheese. Two online surveys on Cheddar cheese color and flavor attributes (n = 1226 and n = 1183, respectively) were conducted, followed by a consumer acceptance test on 6 commercially available Cheddar cheeses (n = 196). Overall, consumers preferred light orange color in Cheddar cheese over dark orange or white Cheddar cheese, but segmentation was observed for Cheddar color preference. Light orange Cheddar and white Cheddar were perceived as approximately equal in terms of "naturalness." White and light orange Cheddars were perceived as more natural than dark orange Cheddars conceptually and in consumer acceptance testing. White Cheddar was considered most natural by 50.3% of n = 1283 survey participants and 43.4% of n = 196 consumer acceptance test participants, while light orange Cheddar was perceived as most natural by 40.6% and 45.9% of these groups respectively. A bimodal distribution was observed in both the online survey and in consumer acceptance testing for "naturalness" of Cheddar cheese color, with a subset of consumers (31.4% of n = 1183 survey participants and 30.6% of n = 196 consumer testing participants) indicating that white Cheddar was the least natural option. Consumers associated orange color in Cheddar cheese with more "sharp" flavor both in an online survey format and consumer acceptance testing.

Parental perception of children's school lunch milk.

School lunch programs are mandated by the US Code of Federal Regulations to serve pasteurized milk that is skim or 1% fat and fortified with vitamins A and D. In recent years, proposals have been made to alter nutritional requirements for school lunches and school lunch milk, including changes to the milk fat and flavor options available. The objective of this study was to evaluate parental understanding and perception of school lunch milk to better understand how changes to school lunch milk are perceived by parents. Four focus groups (n = 34) were conducted with parents of school-aged children (5-13 yr) who purchased milk as part of a lunch at school. Participants were asked about school lunch milk, including nutritional content, packaging, and flavoring. Focus groups included a build-your-own milk activity and discussion of children's milk products currently available on the market. Two subsequent online surveys were conducted with parents of school-aged children (survey 1, n = 216; survey 2, n = 133). Maximum difference scaling was used to evaluate what beverages parents would prefer their child to drink at school (survey 1) and which attributes of chocolate milk for children were most important to parents (survey 2). An adaptive choice-based conjoint activity (survey 1) included flavor, milk fat, heat treatment, label claims, and packaging type. Both surveys included questions to evaluate knowledge of milk nutrition and attitudes regarding milk and flavored milk. Agree/disagree questions were used in both surveys to assess parental opinions of school lunch milk. Survey 2 also included semantic differential (sliding scale) questions to assess parental opinions of chocolate milk and their acceptance of sugar alternatives in chocolate milk served in schools. Parents were familiar with the flavor options and packaging of school lunch milk, but expressed limited familiarity with school lunch milk fat content. Parents perceived milk to be healthy and a good source of vitamin D and calcium. From survey results, parents placed the highest importance on school lunch milk packaging, followed by milk fat percentage and flavoring over label claims and heat treatment. The ideal school lunch milk for parents was unflavored (white milk) or chocolate, 2% fat, and packaged in a cardboard gabletop carton. For school lunch chocolate milk, 3 distinct clusters of parents with differing opinions for children's chocolate milk were identified. Parents are largely unfamiliar with the specific attributes and nutritional profile of milk served in schools but believe that schools should offer milk to their children as part of breakfast and lunch. Parents in both surveys also displayed a preference for 2% fat milk over low-fat options, which provides actionable insight for both governmental bodies determining educational and nutritional policies for school meals and fluid milk producers seeking to optimize their products intended for schools.

Parents' implicit perceptions of dairy milk and plant-based milk alternatives.

Dairy product consumption is motivated by both familiarity and habit. Milk consumption decreases with age, but milk consumption during childhood and adolescence increases the chances of lifetime milk consumption. Understanding how parents perceive dairy milk and other dairy foods further enables development of dairy-positive messaging that aligns with their perceptions. The objective of this research was to understand parent belief systems around fluid dairy milk and plant-based alternatives (PBA). This goal was accomplished by assessing parents' implicit attitudes toward dairy milk and PBA with an implicit bias exercise (n = 331), followed by qualitative interviews to understand explicitly stated purchase motivations and guided recall of information heard about dairy milk and PBA to better understand external influences on milk perception (n = 88). The majority of parents (73.4%) implicitly associated dairy milk with positive attributes compared with those with a positive association with PBA (13.8%) or with a neutral bias (12.7%). The stronger a parent's implicit bias toward PBA, the more likely they were to purchase these products either alongside or as a replacement for dairy milk. Eighty-five percent of parents in our study could recall drinking milk at home as a child, and 58% remembered encouragement from their parents to drink milk. However, only 38% encouraged their own children to drink milk (the majority, 55%, were neutral toward their children's milk consumption). Generally negative media messaging toward dairy milk and positive messaging toward PBA may contribute to this trend, even if consumers are not explicitly aware of their perception changes. Seventy-seven percent of parents felt generally confident in choosing dairy milk or PBA for their children. However, only 26% of parents felt that nothing about dairy milk or PBA information or messaging was confusing. Sources of uncertainty about dairy milk included hormones and antibiotics, animal welfare, ecological sustainability, potential contamination, and intolerances or allergies. By addressing the most commonly encountered and recalled concerns about milk from parents, dairy producers may be able to increase trust and implicit bias toward dairy milk compared with PBA.

Consumer perception of ice cream and frozen desserts in the "better-for-you" category.

The consumption of ice cream and frozen desserts in the "better-for-you" (BFY) category has grown rapidly over the past few years, even as traditional ice cream sales remain stagnant. To better understand consumer preferences within the BFY category, an online survey (n = 1,051) was conducted with ice cream and frozen dessert consumers, followed by consumer acceptance testing of commercial BFY frozen dairy desserts. Consumers of BFY frozen desserts (n = 578) completed an adaptive choice-based conjoint survey and MaxDiff exercise to identify the attributes that drive purchase of BFY frozen desserts. MaxDiff exercises were also used to determine which attributes all frozen dessert consumers (n = 1,051) perceived to make a frozen dessert BFY and which stabilizers or emulsifiers were most attractive on an ice cream or frozen dessert label. Subsequently, a consumer acceptance test (n = 186) was conducted using 4 commercial vanilla-flavored frozen dairy desserts made with different sweetening systems (sugar, sucralose + acesulfame K, monk fruit + allulose, and stevia + erythritol). Half of consumers were primed or informed with the sweeteners and basic nutritional information for the frozen desserts before tasting, and the other half of consumers evaluated samples blinded, where they were only informed that they were tasting a vanilla-flavored frozen dessert. Sweetener type and base (dairy vs. plant) were the most important attributes to BFY consumers when selecting a BFY frozen dessert (n = 578). For all ice cream and BFY dessert consumers (n = 1,051), sweetener-related claims (naturally sweetened, reduced sugar, no added sugar), along with "all natural" and a short ingredient list, were the top attributes that contributed to perception of a "healthier" frozen dessert. When BFY frozen desserts were tasted by consumers, purchase intent decreased after tasting, suggesting that frozen desserts made with natural non-nutritive sweeteners did not meet consumer expectations. Flavor of BFY frozen desserts remains more important than perceived healthiness. Consumers perceive frozen desserts, even those in the BFY category, as an indulgence. Frozen dessert manufacturers should focus on naturally sweetened, dairy-based desserts with minimal sweetener-related flavor defects when designing products for the BFY category.

Consumer perception of natural hot-pepper cheeses.

Hot-pepper cheese (HPC) is a growing category of flavored natural cheese. The objective of this study was to evaluate consumer perception of HPC using a combination of quantitative survey methods and consumer evaluation of HPC. An online survey (n = 510) was conducted to understand drivers of purchase for the HPC category. Consumers of HPC answered maximum difference exercises and an adaptive choice-based conjoint activity focused on HPC attributes. Subsequently, natural HPC were manufactured in duplicate with 5 different hot-pepper blends with a range of heat intensities and distinct color differences. Trained panel profiling and consumer-acceptance testing (n = 194 consumers) were conducted on the cheeses. Three clusters of consumers were identified from the online survey. Cluster 1 (n = 175) were traditional HPC consumers, and cluster 2 (n = 152) preferred milder HPC. Cluster 3 (n = 183) showed preference for spicier HPC as well as novel HPC, such as those made with habanero peppers or white Cheddar cheese. Conceptually, the overall ideal HPC was a Monterey Jack with medium-sized, multicolored pieces of jalapeno peppers and a medium heat and spiciness. Heat and spiciness intensity and type of cheese were the most important attributes. The 5 HPC used in consumer testing had a distinct range (low to high) of hot-pepper burn and heat intensity by trained panel profiling. Consumer overall liking increased as hot-pepper burn and heat intensity increased to a certain point, indicating HPC consumers may have an optimal point for heat and spiciness in HPC. Consumers also preferred HPC with multicolored pepper pieces over those with a single pepper color, consistent with survey results. Consumers who self-reported that they prefer mild- or medium-spicy foods (mild consumers) preferred HPC that were less intense in hot-pepper burn than consumers who self-reported preference for hot or spicy foods (hot consumers). Most HPC consumers preferred HPC with higher heat intensity and were also motivated by visual characteristics of HPC.