UNDERSTANDING THE INTERACTION OF FOOD, PEOPLE AND THE ENVIRONMENT: THE FUTURE OF FOOD RESEARCH IN THE SOCIAL SCIENCES

Transcription

1 UNDERSTANDING THE INTERACTION OF FOOD, PEOPLE AND THE ENVIRONMENT: THE FUTURE OF FOOD RESEARCH IN THE SOCIAL SCIENCES RELATIONS IN THE FOOD SECTOR AARHUS UNIVERSITY præsen TATION

2 THE CHALLENGES Pleasure, well-being, health and sustainability Price 2

3 THE ROLE OF THE SOCIAL SCIENCES Feel Eat People Think Choose 3

4 GETTING CLOSER Closer to consumer motivation Closer to the point of purchase Closer to the point of consumption Closer to the product Closer to the process Closer to industry and public policy 4

5 CLOSER TO CONSUMER MOTIVATION Healthy and sustainable choices are to a large extent a question of motivation and subjective trade-offs between different motives Much more so than a question of information and understanding Egocentrism and impatience? Better understanding of motives and values, formation and change of goals Better understanding of how motives become salient in situations where decisions need to be made Both individual differences and situational differences 5

6 CLOSER TO THE POINT OF PURCHASE Most decisions are made at the point of purchase, but most research relies on retrospective accounts of people s shopping behaviour As a consequence, many less consciously mediated aspects of consumer behaviour are still poorly understood Do more research in the store and face the messy, chaotic environment in which consumers navigate Include new ways of shopping Do more research in the lab, where we can reconstruct selected details of exposure, perception, evaluation and decision-making 6

7 CLOSER TO THE POINT OF CONSUMPTION People eat in all kinds of situations, and situational factors play a major role in how people feel and think about their eating experiences Still, situational factors are more regarded as a nuisance than as a topic worthy of investigation Do more research on the spot, following peoples thoughts and feelings about their food throughout the day Work more with measurable taxonomies of situations that can be incorporated into studies where the situational factors are not in focus 7

8 CLOSER TO THE PRODUCT I In marketing and consumer psychology, we like to stay within the realm of subjective perceptions However, any application of consumer insight in industry and public policy requires to link consumer perceptions to objective product characteristics and to the production process behind them Work together with sensory scientists and food engineers to link perceptions to objective characteristics Work together with food engineers to determine aspects of products and processes that create value for the consumer 8

9 CLOSER TO THE PRODUCT II Food products today are a combination of the physical product, information, and a service component and price Better understanding of how information, service, physical product interact and price (support each other/counteract) in conveying healthiness, sustainability, authenticity 9

10 CLOSER TO THE PROCESS The way a food is produced can add or subtract value in the eyes of the consumer even when it has no consequence for the physical end product Authenticity, naturalness, high-tech production Cooperate with food technologists in bringing about food processes that not only are efficient and sustainable, but that also will be perceived positively by consumers 10

11 CLOSER TO INDUSTRY AND PUBLIC POLICY Industry and public policy are interested in consumer research. Some of them are heavy users of data on consumer behaviour. By working closer with industry and public policy we can not only ensure relevance of our research, but also sharpen users sense for scientific quality of consumer studies. Closer cooperation requires mutual adaptation. 11