Tools for Consumers

Health-related factors in food choices have gained more and more emphasis by both the society and individuals. Making healthy choices requires processing a vast amount of health-related information, and this may be challenging to the consumer.

TOOLS FOR CONSUMERS area in the Nutritech research programme focuses on health-related factors on consumers' food choices and on products that are designed to promote well-being and health. We study consumers´ decision making processes in food and other daily choices and search the role of health-related messages in marketing food products and health advice.

WHY CONSUMERS' VIEW POINT? Values, attitudes and beliefs vary between consumer groups. They influence the way consumers prioritise different food characteristics in their choices and how they understand, process and value the health related information of food products and health services. In order to have an impact on consumers´ food choices, we need to understand cultural conventions, and consumers´ motivators and attitudes and how these meet the aspirations of food providers.

HOW TO DO IT? We use a wide range of qualitative and quantitative research methods. Different interviewing techniques and focus groups give insights into the ways consumers think and form their acceptance of the target product or idea. Questionnaires are used for quantifying consumer attitudes, beliefs and food choice interests. This allows comparison, generalisation and finding diverging consumer segments. We have a long experience in carrying out demanding field experiments with real food samples. We continuously develop new methods to measure consumer responses more reliably and faster.

WHAT DO WE OFFER TO INDUSTRIAL PLATFORM MEMBERS? We translate consumer perception into product development language. We help producers to predict and influence consumers' attitude formation when new products, technologies and services are designed and launched.

The research is focused on the following areas:

• Consumer acceptance of new food products and services
• Role of health in food choices and health-related promotions
• Personalised feedback to consumers about their own health related choices
• ICT as a tool to communicate food and nutrition
• Tailored nutritionally sound solutions for specified target groups

Understanding consumers

List of Publications

VTT's Research on Consumers Sciences

For more information please contact:

Team Leader Aimo Tiilikainen
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