New research from Oregon State University sheds light on consumer habits and food labels, specifically with cheese.
Nadia Streletskaya is an Assistant Professor of Applied Economics for OSU.
“Well, cheese is interesting and Oregon has a lot of great cheeses, with a lot of small producers. And for them, it’s not really clear how to spend the limited marketing money that they have in the best possible way.”
Streletskaya says hundreds of cheese-lovers from around the country took part in the study of how certain information on a label can influence consumer buying.
“To see whether it’s better to provide some information about the taste of the cheese, about the sensory profile, how it feels, what it pairs well with. Or is it better to provide some information about whether it was appreciated by experts; whether it was ranked highly by awards.”
Streletskaya says shoppers looking for familiar varieties rely on descriptions of the flavor or texture, but those more interested in novel cheeses want to know if it’s won an award. She says the information could help producers even in the early stages of deciding what kind of cheese to make and what type of buyer to attract.
“What might drive your decision in the end is the particular combination of how much does it cost you to provide those sensory descriptions, versus how much do you think it’s going to cost to participate in different shows.”
It’s not yet clear whether the findings extend to other products like wine or ice cream.
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